Mommy Ramblings

Wonderfully Made

2010-07-16T14:12:00.004-05:00

This week was Vacation Bible School week at our church. It was so much fun getting to serve and help out during the festivities. And a little surreal having my own little buckaroo participate in the event. I had so much fun dressing my little princesses in theme as much as possible, so they would look right in place at the Saddle Ridge Ranch. Even more fun, was over-hearing the older Princess in the room next door..just singin' her little heart out! (Well, and bossing some of her younger play-mates around, but that part was not quite as much fun.) One of the new songs she learned this week says "I am wonderfully made." Who knows what the rest of the lines are, because that's the only line that girl has been singing the past two days.

We talk a lot about the things God has made and how God made us, and how He loves us. Among other things of course, we want the older Princess to have a grasp on God and we want Him to be a very real part in her life.

It just overjoys my heart to hear this beautiful, wonderfully made little thing say "I am wonderfully made" and to know Who made her.

Isn't it funny that I have to remind myself of that fact, after knowing that truth for a very long time? I know God is the Creator. He created this precious, precious gift He has given us. He created her to be inquisitive and insightful, and maybe even a tad bit bossy. He has orchestrated her every little part, every little facet of her existence. As a mother, it is my job to help her use these characteristics for Gods glory. Not that I should try to "break her" of these maybe less redeeming qualities, but maybe harness them and give them the proper outlet.

** And this little thing shouldn't be forgotten either.

She has been wonderfully made, just like her Big Sister.

Perspective

2010-06-29T09:31:00.004-05:00

Today, I woke up late, my car wouldn't start and it was about a million degrees hot outside. I called my husband in a panic, as I normally do when things aren't going right. Knowing full well he was halfway across the other side of town and couldn't physically do a thing to help me in my predicament. Being the Amazing Mister he is, he calmed me down and provided me a solution. Ten minutes later my wonderful sister-in-law was at my house. And another fifteen minutes later, the little princesses were at her house and I was on my way to work in a borrowed ride.

When I got to work, a sweet co-worker had a cup of McDonalds coffee waiting for me. (That stuff is like manna from the Good Lord!) She thought I might need a little pick-me-up after my somewhat rough start.

I could have very easily given in to my defeatus attitude and let this rough start ruin my day. Instead, I chose to praise God for the mini-blessings in this situation. Because my car wouldn't start, I had an extra 20 minutes to soak in my girls' cheery morning attitudes. We had a few giggles and little smiles waiting on my sister-in-law. On my way in to work, I had glorious, frigid air conditioning blowing in my face. And of course, once I made it in.. I had a little caffeine boost waiting on me.

How do you let things that happen effect you?

My dad passed away almost four years ago. He was a rock, a constant in my life. I loved my Dad and I cherish the memories I have of him. The good and the bad. To see him so sickly for a few years was tough. When it was time for Dad to go and meet his Maker, it was REALLY time. God, in his gracious mercy did not let my Dad suffer very long. It was a matter of mere days before he passed. I've heard of many people being in hospice care for weeks or even months. But Dad was only in hospice care for 3 days!

I can tell you, God is always Good! He is sovereign. He is the same. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. He does not change like the passing wind. His hand is on EVERYTHING. No matter what is going on in your life, or around you. He is there. In the midst of chaos, in the midst of loosing a dear loved one... He is THERE. He is control.

You might just need to change your perspective slightly to see Him and how He is working.

One of those Moms

2010-05-27T12:51:00.002-05:00

I just have to say.... I think my girls are the cutest kids in the whole-wide-world!

Season

2010-05-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

I have to admit; I'm not very patient. If it were for my husband's fierce determination, I might never be surprised with any gifts at all. With all my prodding and nagging, he's never caved once to let me know what he has bought me for this occasion or that.

And I'm not just impatient with surprises or gifts. I'm impatient with lots of things.

In a certain previous post, I mentioned how certain things have been on my prayer list for a very long time. And some things will be on my prayer list until I take my final breath. But just because I've been praying over these things this long, doesn't necessarily mean I am patiently awaiting the outcome.

God is doing a great thing and preparing our family for me to be a stay at home mommy. But I want to stay home NOW! (Well, God is doing many great things.....)

I'm a dreamer, a thinker, a fantasizer. Its *almost* like I live half in the real world, and half in my own little dream world- thinking up different scenarios and playing those scenarios out into these vivid storylines. So, while I am supposed to be awaiting on my King's sovereign timing, I get all wrapped up in what is to come.

And with the "what is to come" comes a whole new set of dreams. There are many "things" I can't wait to get my hands into once I am able to get my hands into once I'm a stay at home mommy.

But for now, I'm a workin' Momma.

Free Stuff?

2010-05-21T09:47:00.004-05:00

SURE!!!

We've become somewhat healthier around our house. No, we aren't super fit health guru's. But we've made changes here and there to become healthier.

I've tasted the FOOD SHOULD TASTE GOOD chips. They are super yummy, and I can't wait to try more varieties.

My bloggy and real life friend, Lauren, is giving away a free bag of these bad boys!

I hope I win!! I hope I win!!

http://www.teamgiles.com/2010/05/food-should-taste-good-giveaway/

Transparent

2010-05-21T09:18:00.002-05:00

: adjective, able to be seen through with clarity.

There are so many things to say about parenthood, and raising children in general. It's exciting, fun, exhilarating, frustrating, painful, embarrassing, hilarious, tragic, exhausting, rewarding, humbling.... Need I go on?

I think one of the most surprising things about parenthood for me is how it has awoken this Holy fear within me. No, not shaking in my boots with fright. But a reverent, awe-filled wonderment of the Creator.

In some book I read at some point it talked about how we are to be Christ to our kids. No, not sacrificing our own lives to save theirs, paving a way to have relationship with God. Rather, show our children the love of Christ by example. Your kids will look up to you as an example in how to handle things, how to live life, how to glorify God. They will look to you to see what it is to love Christ.

When I realized this, I took a long, hard look at myself. How am I showing the love of Christ to my girl? How am I not showing the love of Christ to my girl? Before motherhood, I strived to lead a life pleasing and glorifying God. But, now, as a mother, its intensified all the more.

Not only is this desire to glorfiy God intensified, but its almost like all of my shortcomings or faults have been magnified times ten in front of me.

Would you like to know when I'm dealing with impatience? Just listen to the tone in my precious two year old's voice. Is she somewhat growling and maybe even talking through clenched teeth? Oh, why yes she is.

Would you like to know when I'm dealing with laziness? Just look at my couch where we might just be sitting, watching TV for the umpteenth hour.

Would you like to know when I'm dealing with fright (mainly, the dark)? Just listen to the little toddler who is terrified to be in her own room; alone.

It's as if she is displaying all of my non-terrific qualities for the whole world to see. (As if I weren't doing that already?) Not only the whole world, but those qualities are on full display for me too.

Being a mother has left me transparent.

Thirty doll-hairs

2010-05-18T22:05:00.004-05:00

No. Not really. More like $30.

Our family can do lots of things with $30.

Enjoy a nice movie at the theater with all the snacks you could ever want.
Sponsor a child in a foreign country
Almost "fill up" our car
Splurge on a modest meal out

Or I can buy all of this loot for $30!

(Well, minus the canister set and stowaway cookbook in the back.)

You see, I'm quite addicted to saving money. The thrill of getting the most for my buck is quite exhilirating!

I've clipped coupons in the past, and became a little more avid about it recently. And even more recently I've gone to several stores to catch the best sales on certain items and combined my coupons with those sales.

And VOILA! There you have it!

Tomorrow, I plan to hit up one more store. I plan to leave that store with about 5 items.. spending a whopping total of maybe $1-$2!! (Without a sale or coupons, I would probably pay close to $8-$10 for the same items!)

Roll over, roll over

2010-04-20T13:05:00.003-05:00

The sweetest, littlest Princess has rolled over once, and only once.

Ahem, she likes to do things on her own timing and will not be coerced to do otherwise.

A New Chapter

2010-04-19T14:11:00.002-05:00

The Amazing Mister and I love to reminisce about the "good 'ol days." (Even though, quite frankly, we are still in the "good 'ol days" and they just seem to keep getting better and better.) We often talk about how we got to where we are now, and how we can't imagine our lives any different than it is now. However, if you were to ask us 10 years ago what our lives would be like now, I don't think we would have been able to come up with anything close to what its like.

There have been many twists and turns down this little path we walk and live by. Some have been a little heartbreaking; others have brought indescribable joy.

For the past three years, I have been praying fervantly for God to provide a way for me to stay home with our Precious little Princesses.

For the past five years, I have been praying for strength for my Amazing Mr. to continue on with school.

For the past five years, I have prayed for strength and grace for myself as he has pursued his degree.

And for as long as I have been romantically involved with my Amazing Mr., we have been praying for God to lead us in His sovereign grace. That we would be receptive to whatever He has in store for us. (The death of a few close family members, the joys of new jobs and a new home, the sadness of broken relationships, the joy of two precious additions to our little family...)

I'm pretty sure there are some things that will be a life-long legacy of prayer. There are some things on my prayer-list that will be there until the day I meet my Wonderful Maker. (Lord, please help my girls to love You with an undying passion...) Then there are other things that I seem to have prayed for forever, and the Lord has always answered them in His own good timing (sometimes exactly the way I want Him to, other times..not so much.)

God has certainly been good to us, and granted my wonderful Husband the strength and endurance to get through school. The Amazing Mr. isn't quite done...but there is a strong light at the end of the tunnel! He will be enrolled in the Bachelor program at the begining of the Fall Semester! He will go one night a week for almost two years and will have his degree in Christian Counseling. (Lord help us through Seminary after that!!)

God has also been faithful and has opened the doors for the Amazing Mr. to serve as a youth minister in a nearby church. And not just any church... but the same church where we met, where our friendship grew into a romance, and where we were eventually married.

And I know God will be faithful in paving a way for me to be home with my girls, and hopefully SOON! I have seen His hand at work over the past three years in making this a reality- not just a dream.

So, this is where we are... two "newlyweds" chasing after Jesus, trying to show our precious daughters the love of Christ each day, lovin' on a bunch of teenagers, working our jobs to provide for our beautiful babies, loving life and loving each other!

Block Party

2010-04-02T22:54:00.006-05:00

Last weekend, our church hosted a "block party" in a local neighborhood. It was SO much fun! We loved hanging out as a family in the beautiful weather and getting to hang out with our new church family.

I like to use the excuse that Jade still needs "help" on the big slide so I can go down it too!

Sweet little Bella... always the trooper, just chillin' in her stroller!

Because. You. Can't. Ever. Get. Too. Much. of. The. Bouncy. Things.

Bless her heart, this is the closest she came to rolling down the hill. Poor thing just couldn't get the concept down!

Sisterly Love

2010-04-02T22:50:00.003-05:00

Overheard while getting ready for our Good Friday service....

"Bella, I'm so glad you are out of Mommy's tummy. I love you SOOO much!"

Mommy plays hooky!

2010-03-19T23:31:00.005-05:00

I received a call from my mother-in-law earlier in the week inviting me to go hang with the rest of the in-law gang. The plan was simple: get the whole crew together and enjoy a great day at the park. It took me all of two seconds to weight the options and come to the conclusion to take off work.

It was so worth it! I had a blast being with my girls all day long and soaking up the glorious sunshine! Our day started bright and early. After getting ready in record time, we headed out to WalMart to stock up on a few things needed for the day. But first, I spoiled my Big Princess with donut holes. After WalMart we headed to the in-laws to meet up with everyone else. And another hour and a half later we reached our destination: Washington on The Brazos!

We had so much fun picnic'ing, walking, playing, sliding, and taking lots of pictures! All in all, it was a pretty awesome day! (Aside from the Big Princess being exhausted out of her mind and throwing about 30 fits. Then the Good Lord blessed us with giving the girl a 2nd wind, and she was an absolute angel the rest of the day!)

Sweet Little Bella

2010-03-17T08:33:00.003-05:00

This precious *little* thing has had all of us wrapped around her finger from the moment she was born. Jade just couldn't wait to come into the hospital room to meet her little sister, and has been at her side ever since. Always careful and nurturing, she deeply loves her sister.

I know not too long from now, there will be times I just might want to pull my hair out from the almost constant bickering. But for now, I absolutely love watching these two girls bond!

For now, there is no jealousy, just love.

For now, there is no yelling, just lots of smiles and giggles.

For now, there is no hitting, just lots of hugs and kisses.

Melt my heart and slap it on a biscuit; I LOVE these girls!

Jade-isms

2010-03-16T21:44:00.004-05:00

I always say that Jade practically came out of the womb talking. Seems like from the time that girl was born, she's always had somethin' to say. And with time zooming by so fast, I like to try and hold onto the little things that make my Big Princess not so big.

Here are a few funny phrases the girl just can't seem to get right:

In English: Giddy up or Yee-Haw

In Jade: Giddy-haw

In English: Cheers!
In Jade: Cheers to cheers

In English: One last time or one more time

In Jade: Last more time

In English: I love you.

In Jade: Lush you.

Not exactly starting over...

2010-03-15T22:49:00.002-05:00

But starting again, I guess?

It has been far too long since I have enjoyed one of my favorite "past-times." Hmm.. can blogging be a "past-time?" Is it still a "past-time" when you are currently enjoying said activity? I digress.

How can I possibly catch you up on the past 8-9 months? Uh, I don't think I can. So this is basically where we just kind of start where we are now, k?

Uh-oh

2009-07-29T22:34:00.002-05:00

Tonight, we were all laying on Jade's bed.. going through her nightly routine. As usual, we weren't keeping to a set schedule or time frame.

In the midst of hanging out together, the subject turned to our wee little Bella. It went a little something like this:

"Momma, sit up.. wanna hold you." She proceeded to wrap her arms around me in the tightest hug.

"Jade, did you tell Bella you love her today?"
"Wanna hold her!!" She proceeded to wrap her arms around my ever-expanding mid-section. "Want her to stay in there!"

"What Jade? Don't you want her to be out here so you can hold her?"

"NO. Want her to stay in the-yere!"

Flips

2009-07-28T22:10:00.003-05:00

Y'all, she is doing flips! This beautifully, fearfully and wonderfully made little human is doing FLIPS in my tummy! Not just the occasional nudge, or swim across... but this amazing little beauty is doing flips in me.

Upon arriving at home tonight...

2009-07-28T22:01:00.001-05:00

Jade tells me, "Mom, I'm pumped!!"

ME: "You're what?" (Just to make sure I heard her right.)

"Mom, I'm so pumped!"

Testing

2009-07-24T16:10:00.004-05:00

About 3 weeks ago, Jade had a really nasty kidney infection. To be on the safe side, Jade's doctor ordered several tests out of fear of possible kidney reflux. Since my neice had this done several years ago, I called my sister for the scoop. So, we went in somewhat prepared. The Amazing Mister even stopped to get several bribes. What? Like you wouldn't? With candy, sprite and a bag full of toys in hand, we entered in.

*waiting*

First, Jade needed ultrasounds of all her "plumbing organs." This wasn't too bad, as I was able to lay beside her during it. And we were able to keep popping candy in her mouth at this point. That might have helped too.

*reading Brown Bear to Daddy*

After a short wait, we went to the radiation room. I had to scoot out while they did several x-rays. And the screaming/crying started. Next, came the catheder. Oh the joy. The Amazing Mister, 2 nurses and I held Jade down so another nurse could put the catheder in. I left while they did several more x-rays. The next x-ray required an emptied bladder. The poor princess was so anxious it took her a while to finally get the urge. PTL she asked to go on the potty though! Whoot! 1 last x-ray and the last bout of screaming...

And now, without further procrastination, I will be joining the Big Princess for a joyous nap.

Ain't she cuu-uute?

2009-07-23T20:56:00.002-05:00

Jade perfecting her latest talent/obsession.

She makes us so proud yall!

Double Trouble

2009-07-20T14:46:00.002-05:00

Just think.. all the ribbons, all the lace, all the PINK in our house! And all the BOWS!! Hairbows, hairbows, hairbows! I better start stocking up now.

That's right, folks! We will have another little Princess joining our little clan in December! (Sorry if the title made you think twins, but there is only one bun in this oven.)

We can't wait to hold you little Bella Grace!

Well, Hello there!

2009-07-19T22:45:00.003-05:00

Um.. if there is anyone even there.

At least I know of one person that will be extremely happy that I'm FINALLY updating! (*Cough* Janet * Cough*)

What can I say? The real world just kept getting in the way of me needing to keep up with one of my fav hobbies: Blogging. Ahhh.. but I'm back yall!

So much has happened in the past 2-3 months. (Really, has it been that long?) How can I possibly catch yall up? Shall we just proceed with a nice summarized/ updated version of my recent progress post? I think we shall!

Jade...

*Says all of her ABCD's (as she calls them!)

*Knows most of the letter sounds

*Sings about a bazillion songs, and can hum most of them now

*Plays pretend Mommy non-stop. (Today she put her "babies" down in her old crib, walked out and sang to them at the door, and came and told me "shhh, babies napping.")

*knows that baby Gavin is in mommy's tummy.. (Yes, that's right folks.. I am with child! We are so ecstatic! Hmm.. maybe another excuse for my absence.)

*Recognizes her written name, and can even spell her name

*And lets not forget. 2 1/2 months is a long time in the bloggin' world. Long enough time for the girl to grow some hair! Woot-woot! (Well enough to put up into ridiculous little pig-tails.)

What I'm doing right now..

2009-05-02T20:55:00.001-05:00

Eating a giant tablespoon heaping full of sugar cookie dough while watching a totally predictable Lifetime movie.

Ahhh...

Progress

2009-04-13T21:08:00.002-05:00

...but not in that department. The whole potty thing was somewhat of a fluke.

I can't believe how smart Jade is getting and how much the little stinker picks up on things.

She counts to 10.

She knows almost all her ABC's. You know, depending on what kind of mood she's in.

She can do all her peg puzzles.

She knows almost all her primary colors.

She sings along with every song she knows.. and even songs she doesn't know.

And she still likes to eat random things off the floor sometimes. You know. Just so you don't think she some kind of super baby. Er. Toddler.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T20:36:00.007-05:00

In one word: exhausting.

In two words: exhausting fun.

This weekend was a blast! We had so much fun celebrating the ressurrection of our Living King. On Saturday, we made our way over to KK and Pop's house to celebrate with pretty much all of the Amazing Mister's extended family! PTL for the beautiful weather! We were able to play outside quite literally all day.

She threw a fit when we made her put her first egg in the basket. Then, she realized she could get more!!

On Sunday, the Good Lord continued showering His blessings upon us. The Precious Princess allowed us to sleep in until 8 am. Whoot Whoot!

Here she is digging in her loot!

After church, we continued celebrating with my family at my Aunt's house. Mmmm.. pasta and salad. But by 4 o'clock we were all pooped!

I think this about the only smile we managed all weekend.

She Pooped!!

2009-03-26T21:20:00.002-05:00

ON THE POTTY!!!

Tuesday night, Jade and I are playing in the living. Before I knew what was happening, Jade was saying "Potty, potty", running to the bathroom.

Being the awesome Mom I am, I was totally prepared with a potty chair and everything. Or so that's how I imagined it. But in reality, it was a matter of her hanging onto my arms for support and balance.

After a few seconds, she got a little bored or something. And I figured it was just a fluke. But she sure was standing strange after I got her down.

So, I used my cat-like reflexes to put back on the potty.. and of course encouraged her! And the princess did her business!

YAY! Wal-Mart here we come for that potty seat!

Fantasy and Reality

2009-03-19T22:18:00.002-05:00

I'm a bookworm. I like books. I like stories. I'm not too incredibly picky when it comes to a book, and I can usually find satisfaction in just about anything I read. Of course, I do have certain genres that peak my interest more than others. But the point is.. I love to read. Give me a good book.. and I can't do anything else but read. I've been this way ever since I can remember. Our spare bedroom upstairs houses my old bedroom furniture from my parent's house. And on the hutches sits every elementary-junior high book nerd's dream. Books upon books. The collection spills into our the master bedroom. (But technically, I can't claim all of those. Even though the Amazing Mister isn't the most avid reader.. he does enjoy reading. A little.)

Because of my fascination/obsession with books, I try not to read them too much. In the two and a half years my beloved and I have been in wedded bliss, I have read maybe 10 books. Maybe even less, maybe one more. I sacrificially give up reading from time to time.

However, I occasionally get sucked back into the world of the thick pages of a good book. Vivid images pop into my head and play out almost like a movie as my mind digests each word of the novel. Minutes turn into seconds and hours turn into minutes. Like I was telling Matt, being immersed in a good book is ten times better than the best movie of the year. Its like taking all my favorite shows and having them amplified in ten different ways to like the tenth power. And when I'm not reading the book, my imagination runs wild with possible upcoming scenarios in the book. Even when I've finished with the book, my imagination still runs amuck a little with the "happily ever after" part.

Last Monday I got sucked back in the worst kind of way. Friends had told me about this series at least a year ago. I brushed it off, thinking I would not be interested in the slightest. But a coworker recently brought it up. And long after the hysteria broke out, I got on the bandwagon and read the Twilight series.

You read that right. I read the series. Over 2100 pages in a matter of a week. I began Monday, March 9th and finished the last book in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, March 17th. While this series does not hold the same innocence as my trusty Babysitter Club series, it does not leave me feeling utterly dejected at the end of the reading. Suspense, romance, adventure and a little action.. hook, line and sinker.. I'm a Twilight fan! I recommend the series if you're looking for some light reading!

However, I do not recommend that you become as obsessed as I become when I read books. It is inevitable that you will be holed up in your house at night, in your car at lunch, and some quiet place in between to escape into the little fantasy world that books can create. (Again, only because books to me are like 10 awesome movies all rolled into binding with words and pages.) And as a result, you may feel like a hermit at the end. This will inevitably leave you blinking repeatedly in the bright sunlight and fumbling to regain any social skills you may have once had.

Oh. And Matt is glad to have his wife back again.

Jade Says..

2009-03-19T22:09:00.002-05:00

"Hush Matt!"

(Matt had been making some annoying sound in the car one day. Evidently, she found it annoying too.)

"One, Two, Thwee, FIIIIVE!!"

(We're working on the four part.. weird, she won't even repeat "4" after us.)

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G"

(And a bunch of random of letters after that. IF she's feeling cooperative.)

"Rock out, Rock out, ROCK OUT!"

(Anytime she gets hyper and wants to dance all crazy in her carseat.)

Springtime

2009-03-07T14:07:00.003-06:00

I almost drooled. Almost.

Sweet springtime dress, in your cute little colors, when will you go on sale?

Just what we needed

2009-03-01T20:44:00.003-06:00

Call me crazy, but I think a bad case of a stomach virus and a not so bad case of the flu is just what we needed! (My virus finally gave way late Friday night, and the Princess's fever seemed to have let up around Saturday morning.)

This weekend we were almost under house arrest. Well, not really. We just tried to not be around too many people because of the funky germs t

hat were infesting our bodies.

With the exception of a random shopping trip Friday, and our normal errands on Saturday.. it gave us plenty of time to hang out as a family. Ahhh. So good.

I took this picture a few weeks back.

Just because I noticed her hair was finally getting long enough to have funky bed-head!

Strand B

2009-02-26T20:14:00.004-06:00

Oy! You hear about it every year. And with each passing year, it seems to get worse. The flu that is. Well this year, it has it struck our family!

Poor Jade was diagnosed with strand B today. We are almost beside ourselves. The girl has only ever had 2 ear infections, and was an (almost) absolute Princess through both of those ordeals.

But this.. this is far worse! She has barely been herself today.

So we stocked up on the Vicks (rub and soothing aroma pads), tylenol and tami-flu; had a quick dinner at Chick-fil-a; watched a "Muu-wie"; and cuddled for just a bit.

Not too mention, I haven't been up to par the past few days either!

So, this is what we do when Daddy's at school, and Mommy and the Princess aren't feeling too great... we cuddle and watch "muuwies" (Movies) or "pets" (WonderPets)

Jade Says..

2009-02-23T20:55:00.002-06:00

Upon exiting the car at Nana's, there are the sweetest birds just chirping away in all different tones and dialects.

Jade says, "What's that?" (All animated of course.)

"Those are birds, sweetheart."

Jade says, "Tweet, tweet!"

****

Upon rocking Jade into a half-sleep, half-awake daze...

Jade says, "Unt (I+Want in toddler talk) Boonts (Baloons)"

"Mommy doesn't have any baloons baby."

Jade says, "Why-uh?"

"Because they are at the store."

Jade says, "Why-uh?"

*PAUSE*

"Jade, do you want to go night night and dream about baloons?"

Jade says, "Uh-huh. Night, night Mommy."

Weekend Recap

2009-02-22T16:26:00.007-06:00

Our good friends Rod and Lauren got married this weekend! Oh, the wedding was absolutely beautiful and Lauren was just a stunning bride! (She wore green shoes yall, and more than "pulled them off.") Such a classy wedding!

So, Friday, I took off early to be able to make it to the rehearsal dinner with the Amazing Mister (and Precious Princess too.) I had every intention of letting the girl get a good nap since she had woken up pretty early Friday morning. Instead, I decided to spoil her. We went to Wal-Mart to pick up some new cheap-throw-in-the-backpack-toys. Boy, I sure am glad I had that idea! Among the toys, a $2 pink ball and a $5 mini-magna-doodle. Between the new toys and the new outfit(s) for the wedding, the girl got a bit spoiled this weekend.

I only have about 5 pictures from this weekend exactly like this! She would fall asleep mid-doodle!

We are very grateful that the rehearsal and dinner were early on Friday. We were able to get home, and put Jade to bed by 7pm! HALLELUAH!

We woke up bright-eyed and bushytailed Saturday morning. And somehow, without the help of the Amazing Mister, we were able to leave the house 30 minutes early than expected. Y'all it was a true blessing from the Lord! Usually, when its just the girl and me.. we are leaving 15 minutes late! We made a quick stop to get the beautiful couple's present.. and my girl created such a ruckus. She was so cute she even had people stopping us in the parking lot!

We ended up getting to the ceremony about 15 minutes early. Oh, and what a beautiful ceremony it was. The chapel was absolutely gorgeous and the message was awesome! Afterwards, we headed to the classy reception...where Jade's mood slowly deteriorated. She would having nothing to do with being polite and giving cutesy smiles to some of our old friends. Instead, she wanted to run like a wild commanche! I am blessed to say that nothing was broken, burned or completely destroyed as a result of Jade being there though.

I finally remembered that I had brought the miracle toy with us to the reception! She actually sat and "colurrred" for a good 30 minutes at one point.

Given that Jade had woken up rather early again, I figured she would delight in taking a gloriously long nap when we got home at about 3:30. I must have not taken into account the two suckers Nana had fed her on the way to the reception, the cake I let her have, and all the sweet tea she guzzled. So, instead, she helped the Amazing Mister and I spruce up the back yard. That could almost be another post in and of itself. However, I will say that I am utterly embarrased at the state it was in before we began working! I took care of the many presents our dog has left us over the last several months while Matt worked on planting the palms we bought about a week ago. Praise the Lord for the awesome sale Lowes had on some palms! (Only $10 each!)

Afterwards, we spruced ourselves up to return the tux, get the Mister some new work shoes, and to treat ourselves to some "Goo-ood" Mexican food. Mmm.. I love you Adobe Cafe. By the time we got home, Jade was nearly in a coma-like sleep.. and I was not far from it. The girl didn't even bat an eye as I was changing her into her night clothes!

What a fun weekend we have had!

Not too big of a shock.. Jade preferred the company of Nana and Papoo rather than me after the ceremony. She insisted on "wok-ing" with them.

For my sister..

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My dog finally found a comfy spot on top of my favorite blanket (Thank you Jared and Michelle.. I cuddle up with that blanket every night on the couch.) He only found that comfy spot by turning about 80 million circles before he laid down. Hmm. I thought only cats did that.

As I type, my eyes are screaming at me for making them glare at this painstakingly bright screen for at least 10 hours (and counting) today. Oh the joys of being back at work full-time. But what a blessing to be so busy that I still have work to do when I get home.. when many are hoping and praying for any work at all.

The Mister is at school.. I miss him.

The precious princess ran full speed AT me today (note: NOT AWAY) when I picked her up from her KK's house. My heart literally melted. And after our nightly routine, she clung to me and gave me "gentle pats" before I laid her in bed. At that point, my cup was more than "runneth" over'ing. I miss hearing the new things she is doing and saying. Only getting 2 solid hours with her a day during the week is tough.

I hear the clock on our living room wall ticking at me in a menacing tone. By the way, did you know, we now have a piano in our living room? Our new favorite word is "cozy" to describe the current set up in here.

So.. there you have it, Sister-O-Mine. I updated my blog. Didn't promise it would be pretty.. entertaining.. or melded together in the slightest! (Our camera is too dead and currently without a charger to post cute pictures. And my brain is too dead and currently without a charger to post witty words.)

Love ya!

Favorites

2009-02-12T21:31:00.003-06:00

As you know, our sweet little princess is expanding her vocabulary, and is even annunciating words more accurately now-a-days.

Before she grows up anymore, I just have to document some of my favorite words that she says/

Eye kink (ice cream)

Coworn (corn)

Owrange

Beebee (baby)

Sansssssun (Sampson)

There it is (WHOOP! There it is)

CUOOOooold (cold)

Tanee (candy)

Banket (blanket)

Lush you or Wush you (Love you)

Much (love you so much)

Here is a picture of Jade in her Daddy's MMA Headgear.

Because, you know, just what every 18 month old princess needs to be wearing.

It will go perfectly with her new favorite toys: Lightsabers.

Ummm... Pants

2009-01-27T20:46:00.002-06:00

I would like to start by saying how exquisitely talented and smart our beautiful Princess is. Her vocabulary astounds us. And most recently she has wowed us with such spectacular words like "awesome", "cool", and "totally." Words every 18 month old girl should know, right?

The other morning Matt and Jade were gazing into her closet. Not expecting a reply, Matt asked Jade, "what do you want to wear today?"

"Ummm..... pants," was the answer he got.

In which I confess...

2009-01-22T21:13:00.003-06:00

I am not Super-mom..or Super-woman. Or any name that has "Super" as the pre-fix.

Being back at the office full time has brought on a different kind of tired. By the end of the day, I pray, sometimes almost frantically, to have peace of mind.. to not be stressed.. to have the energy to be Super-mom to our Precious Princess and Super-wife to my wonderful Mr.. to have patience with an 18 month old, yet still have the discernment to discipline her wisely.

Its been almost two weeks. The call I dreaded and hoped would never come, did. My boss asked me to come back into the office full time. I am truly greatful that he did ask me to come back in. If not, he could have just found someone else who would. After a mini-freak-out session, in which I am almost sure I muttered "the sky is falling, the sky is falling", I came to my senses and remembered I serve a Sovereign God. We prayed and prayed, and I asked some very dear friends to partner with me in praying. By that evening, The Mr. and I knew that it would be best for our little family if I returned to work.

And just like that (snap fingers here) everything fell into place. Our beautiful little princess is getting to spend ridiculous amounts of time with two aunts, her Nana, several cousins, and pretty much all of her grandparents. While dropping her off into those loving hands isn't necessarily the highlight of my day, I can't begin to describe to you the peace I feel knowing the care she is receiving. And though my feelings still get a little ting of hurt, I feel so at rest when she excitedly greets whomever she gets to see that particular day.

Spoiled Rotten

2009-01-20T21:14:00.002-06:00

Me that is. Well, Jade too.. but that's a given.

This past weekend I celebrated a very wonderful birthday with some very wonderful people. On my actual birthday, I worked out, grocery shopped in the company of my handsome husband and precious princess.. with one of my fav iced coffees in hand. The drink was mine for the most part, until Jade realized what it was. The only thing I remember about the shopping trip was her saying "dink" over and over and over and over. But it was so delightful to have two of my favorite people with me. Then, we celebrated my beautiful neice's birthday, who just happens to have the same birthday as muah. Mmm.. cookie cake.

Then my amazing Mr. took me out with some of our close friends for the best Mexican food ever and the best Cheesecake ever. That's right, people! We were hopping from one restaraunt to the next. And it was splendid. When we made it home, the Mr. had my birthday present proudly on display. Seeing as how I only asked for a book and a new set of pj's, I was pretty suprised to see a digital frame playing some of the cutest pictures of our little family. I have enjoyed it (almost) every minute since. He likes to spoil me. (Its sitting all proud-like in front of my computer screen at work. More on that to come later though.)

The next day we enjoyed lunch with the Mr's family. Where I was spoiled even more! Between our famil(ies), friends and the Mr... I don't think I will need another present for-like-ever!

Thank you all so much for making my birthday so wonderful! Your company alone was such a treat! But the gifts are so appreciated, and I cherish them!

"Lush You"

2009-01-19T21:36:00.003-06:00

We have felt it for a long time now. In her sweet smile. In the way she gives us bear hugs, and says "mmmm" while she does it. In the way her eyes twinkle with excitement when she sees us. In the way her cute little lips pucker with unexpected kisses.

But finally, we have heard it. Baby Girl said the sweetest words that I almost thought would take her an eternity to say. She is in what I like to call the "parakeet" stage. She is spitting out new words at rapid-fire pace. Whether she understands and fully knows what she is saying.. I have no idea.

But tonight.. after we had said "I love you, Jade." She said "Lush you." I nearly wept with joy.

Christmastime is..

2008-12-26T22:44:00.002-06:00

lingering. The decorations that once adorned every square inch of our quaint home are now in the comforts of the gray totes they came out of almost a month ago. And all that remains of our beautiful Christmas tree can be found in our vaccuum bag. All the presents that we graciously have accepted from our dearest loved ones have found a place in our home as well. Well, almost all of them. Some will have to wait until tomorrow when I have more energy. Christmas music will no longer be blaring from every speaker in our home or cars. Traditions that I have grown so found of, some old, some new.. have been kept up and done another year. And the memories will be well preserved within our minds and of course, plenty of pictures.

Yet, something is lingering here. Something majestic. Can you sense it? Do you feel it? (No, I'm not talking about the indigestion you have from eating far too much.)

I pray you truly feel it. You know, that nostalagia that comes with Christmastime and all the wonderful festivities. But unfortunately, I know for many of you.. you may not feel it. Maybe its because you may not truly comprehend what happened that special night over 2000 years ago. A baby boy was born. But not just any baby. It was JESUS! The Lord and The Savior! And this baby that was born over 2000 years ago, that grew to be a child.. who grew to be a teenager.. who grew to be a man.. who then laid down His life to cover all our sins.. and then rose again 3 days later..is still rocking this world. His life and His story is still being told.. its still being worshipped.. and its never going to die down.

So while the presents that came in celebration over His birth are so very nice and gladly accepted, I can't describe to you the unexplainable joy I have over this baby boy being born. Its something far deeper and more meaningful than nostalagia.

Oh, and Did I mention..

2008-12-22T21:54:00.002-06:00

that the Amazing Mr. had a really amazing surprise waiting for me when I got home?

Jade and I left the house looking like a tornado had blown through mine and the Mr.'s room. We came home to find that the Amazing Mr. cleaned it and the rest of the upstairs from top to bottom. (Coming and going all weekend leaves the house in a little dis-array with multiple wardrobe changes flying about in there.)

To top it off, he treated his lucky ladies to a wonderful dinner at one our favorite-but-not-frequented-too-often restaurants. Oh NitNoi, with your creamy peanut sauce, soft spring rolls (and crunchy for the Mr.), and Peanut Chicken.. we love you! And just in case you were wondering, Precious Princess favors her Daddy's preference of spring rolls.

Christmas Cookies

2008-12-22T21:26:00.007-06:00

Last year's Cookie Day with a very rosy, cheeked, just-summoned-from-a-nap-through-it-all Jade.

The much anticipated, favoritist (almost at least) Christmas tradition has come and gone folks! When I was younger, I could not wait for Christmas Cookie day with my Granny and siblings. Who wouldn't be excited about eating (i.e. sneaking when Granny wasn't looking) cookie dough until your ears are practically oozing it out?

As I've gotten older, the real joy is in seeing my nieces and nephews take such delight in this special day with Granny. I pray that Jade will be able to have some of these special memories with Granny also. For now, she is only interested in terrorizing her younger cousins and mooching food off of people.

Next year, I will make motion that we start Cookie Day at 6am. Last year, we were supposed to start early.. like 9ish. I don't think a batch of cookie dough was actu

ally made until like 12. This year, it was supposed to be 12:30. We started around like 3:30. Don't ask me what we did for 3 hours before we actually "got to it." I couldn't tell you.

What happens when you leave kids alone in the kitchen for 10 minutes that are supposed to be diligently working on their cut-out cookies?

A self-inflicted flour face of course!

The Money Shot A*K*A* posed picture for the sake of memories. Jade did not really particpate much in the actual cookie day. However, we do have a few photos that say otherwise.

Sadly, this is probably the most Jade and I contributed to cookie day. Girlfriend was all about exploring her aunt, uncle and cousin's new house. And I was busy chasing after her, snapping pictures and getting approximately all of 30 seconds of video footage.

I can't wait until next year!!!

Weekend Recap

2008-12-22T20:45:00.004-06:00

The somewhat condensed version.

Friday : Amazing Mister's company Christmas party, great prizes, awesome food, good company and conversation. Thank you to Nana and Papoo for entertaining our precious Princess while we were at the festivities.

By Saturday, we were getting into the groove of Christmas celebrating. We headed over to Meemaw and Pawpaw's a little early to get in some extra sweet lovin' and cheek squishin' for one of our new little cousins that lives several states away. Unfortunately, the rest of the Brantner clan had the same idea we did. But who am I kidding? It was great to get to hang with the fam without feeling like we were rushed. Although, Precious Princess was pretty much napless that day and was surely testing our patience! Girlfriend snatched toys left and right from younger cousins, shrieked, and was a terror. But of course, she had her undeniably cute Ms. Priss angelic moments too.

Jade being "chute." She does this a lot to show off.

Sunday was the perfect end to a great weekend. That morning we went to see Jade's absolute favorite cousin sing in his little Christmas program. (You know, the cousin's name she says only about 5 million times a day.) I'm not sure he expected to see her there though. She kept "shouting" his name, and when he finally looked at her.. it was priceless. His face lit up.. and it was like he was performing just for her. I'm so grateful that Jade has such a close bond with her big cousin. After church, we enjoyed the best lunch ever at Outback, which was a very rare treat for us. Jade took an awesome 2.5 hour nap. And before we knew it, we were heading out the door again.

Our church worship band (with a few special guests) put on Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb of God." I'm a little biased, but I'm not sure many would disagree. We have like the best Worship Team ever! I mean sure, they have bu-coo's of talent.. but they also really worship with their entire being.. and I love it! The words of each song sang were so powerful. And like our worship pastor said (well, paraphrasing here) I always thought of Christ's birth as the beginning. But really.. its just another step in God's plan. He had this whole thing ordained and thought out way back in Exodus.

Oh and PTL, Jade was truly a precious princess that night. They did not have nursery, so we were at the mercy of whatever I had packed to entertain her. Baby Girl "colurred" for at least 30 minutes with a pen and piece of paper, snacked until her belly button almost popped, and went through other knick-knacks I had packed in all of about 5 minutes each. Overall, she did spectacular during the hour-long musical.

Much Better

2008-12-19T15:35:00.003-06:00

Saturday should have been a little clue as to how our week might turn out. But yesterday almost took the cake. Pretty Princess got to bed pretty late Wednesday night, tossed and turned throughout the night, and woke up bright-eyed but not so bushytailed at 7 am on Thursday! Say what?!?! We had a Christmas Party the night before.. so I had stayed up late working so I wouldn't have a bazillion things to do the next day. Needless to say, I was not too enthuiastic about Miss Priss waking up early. The morning was rough, the afternoon to mid day was splendid (we went to Chick-fil-a with Jade and two of her favorite cousins), and our late afternoon was not much better. We were both tired, cranky and a bit out of sorts.

When KK picked Little Miss and I up that evening for a girls night out with some of the family, I mentioned that I wasn't sure if most of the day went awry because of the Little One's attitude or mine. At the end of the day, I was exhausted and felt like a no good Mommy.

Today, however, has proven to be just what we needed. A day filled with laughter, playing, puzzles, coffee (mostly for me), lots of kisses, a little cuddling, coloring and much needed napping.

I think its a beautiful start to a wonderful weekend! Its amazing how Father God takes care of us even in the smallest things. Praise the Lord for our joyful spirits today and for a day just to be Mommy and Daughter!

Tonight we have the Amazing Mister's company party (and Jade will get to spend time with her beloved Nana, Papoo and some more of her favorite cousins), tomorrow we have an extended family Christmas celebration, and Sunday we will go see two wonderful Christmas Concerts. The first concert will be performed by one of the cutest red-headed kids. And the 2nd will be performed by the best Worship Team ever!! (Our church worship team is putting on Behold The Lamb of God. Never seen it, but super excited to!)

Which will take us right into a whole week with the Amazing Mister being at home with us!! We are so excited! And of course, there will be non-stop Christmas Festivities going on that week!! (Monday, much anticipated Christmas tradition of making cookies with my Granny, sisters, neices and nephews! This started with my older sister and has been an ongoing tradition for like 30 years! Tuesday, good dinner with good friends! Just an excuse to have friends over and use the Christmas dishes we were given almost 3 years ago at a "Christmas" shower that was thrown for us. Wednesday, Christmas Eve celebration with Amazing Mister's maternal extended family, and then a celebration with my extended family. Thursday, CHRISTMAS!! Hang here for a blink of an eye, shoot over to my mom's for Christmas Breakfast, then to Kk & Pop's for "linner"-late lunch:early dinner-, quite possibly a movie. Friday, Christmas morning do-over at KK & Pops.. with Amazing Mister's immediately family. We always do this the day before CHristmas Eve or day after Christmas.. spend the night, watch movies, and wake up next morning like its Christmas day!)

SO, the next time you hear from me, I will probably be sweating red and green all over...because I will just be oozing of Christmas-y.

I'm tired ya'll.

2008-12-13T21:15:00.002-06:00

Our day, in semi-random order (because I'm too tired to remember the real order):

*alarm goes off at 6:15am for no apparent reason. After a little bit of half-asleep headscratching, we come to the conclusion that MS. Princess must have been playing with the buttons yesterday.
*have a nice breakfast with Amazing Mr. while Jade was recovering (i.e. sleeping in) from her late night of gazing on Christmas Lights with KK, Pops and the whole rest of the Brantner/Skinner/ Weaver/McKee bunch.
*Princess wakes up, eat & get dressed in a flash
*Wonderful Aunt Marlene picks us up to begin our day of fun
*Drop by two houses to pick/drop radom things up/off
*head down to Aunt Marlene's house so she can "freshen up" before we meet Amazing Mr. for lunch
*had GOOD lunch with Amazing Mr.
*race over to complete opposite side of town to amazing tea party hosted by one of Aunt M's new friends
*Jade acts worse than a bull in a China closet, I had maybe two sips of tea
*Jade tumps ENTIRE cup of tea all over both us
*Momma almost loses it from embarrassment, instead musters enough grace and humility to give my most sincere apology to the host
*head back to Aunt M's house to wait on Mr. to get out of school
*Ms. Princess refuses to stay asleep when I try to lay her down at Aunt M's house
*Mr. gets out of school, we head to Galleria
*walk 10 million miles in my pointy toe heels
*make one measley purchase at Macy's
*eat awesome Mexi food, but realize we want something sweet
*walk halfway cross the Galleria to Candy Store, then walk right back by Restaurant to our parking garage
*Get home after being gone from house for nearly 13 hours
*NOw, going to go pass out from the exhaustion.. or may shamelessly beg Amazing Mr for footrub.

PHEW!

I heart...

2008-12-12T23:45:00.003-06:00

TOBY MAC!!!!!

Holy Cow. I told Mr. Amazing that his concert tonight was almost a toss up between Coldplay. I nearly got kicked out of the moving truck. No, but seriously it was awesome. I don't know when the last time I danced that much was. No. Wait. To be honest, it was earlier today when Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" came on the radio. But you get the point.

I have to admit, when we were invited to go, I didn't give the concert my 100% excited reaction. Of course I was looking forward to a fun evening out with friends..and I always enjoy a concert. But I don't know every single Toby song by heart. Needless to say, my expectations were not very high. Even if they had been, I think they still would have been TOTALLY blown away.

"What would people say if they find out its true? Oh, oh, oh!"

While on Hiatus..

2008-12-10T21:29:00.003-06:00

The precious princess and I had the pleasure of going with our Mothers Day In group from church to the Children's Museum downtown. We both had a blast and came home completely tuckered out.

I guess I should start at the beginning. Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be a mom. Not just a mom, but a Mommy. When I had Jade, I dreamt of the day when I could all day just playing with her and teaching her about the awesome God we serve. And along with playing with her, I imagined us being a part of a play group.. and raising her in the environment I had growing up. I have such fond memories of spending time over at my own friend's houses while the moms made those hideous jumpers that were so popular for little girls in the late 80's.

Well, while I was on hiatus from blogging, Jade and I went to the Children's Museum with our Mothers Day In program from church. I don't know who had more fun, me or Jade. Not only was the Museum so completely AWESOME (and super cheap), but it was a dream come true for me. Seeing Jade interact with kids around her same age, and being part of something that I've so longed for! We are so incredibly blessed to call our church "home" and to have such wonderful friends there!

Did you notice?

2008-12-02T23:07:00.002-06:00

The sidebar had to go. I put a nice little doo-wop up a while back, bragging about all the words Jade can say now. But Little Girl has become quite the chatterbox lately. Somebody told me she is like a little parakeet, and by George, I think they've got it. Sometimes, I wonder where she really learns the things she says. And just bless your heart if you make it all the way through this post! (This is mainly to document her newest little milestones for us, but indulge if you wanna!)

But some things that we have really been working on are animals and their sounds. So far, we have "hoewiss" (horse), cat, dog, sheep, cow, owl, pig, rooster, and duck. But when we get to fish... and making fish lips, she just looks at me like I'm a weirdo.

I think the most fun we are having at this stage though, is actually seeing how her little brain correlates things. Like when I pick up my phone during the day, Princess instinctively says "Dada?" (Because 90% of the time we actually call him.) Or sometimes she'll say "Dada go?" (Like where is he?) And I'll say "work." Or sometimes we'll say someone's name like Nana.. and she'll say "Papoo."

And Precious Princess may soon become a little Domestic Diva. She loves to "holp" (help) me clean, cook, do the laundry and the dishes! So, every time I get ready to do my "chores", Baby Girl is right there waiting for her little instructions. While unloading the dishwasher inevitably takes 20 minutes now, it is so precious to see her taking such delight in "holping."

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-02T15:48:00.009-06:00

and Happy Thanksgiving.. and Happy Halloween!

Now, lets just backtrack a minute, shall we? Jade was the cutest little Punk Rock Princess this year for halloween. We had the best time at a fall festival with some of our closest friends and family and their kiddos. And at this fall festival, they had horse rides. The princess didn't quite know what a horse was at the time, or how to say it at least. But since the girl is such an animal lover, we figur

ed she would love it. So, when it was her turn for a ride on the horse, she really didn't know what to think. But after about half a minute, she decided it was the best ever! After the fun at the festival, we headed over to Buffalo Wild Wings..and that was our Halloween.

Thanksgiving this year was awesome. My green bean casserole got great reviews from my husband at both festivities we attended. Our daughter, on the other hand, was not impressed with Turkey Day food at all. The girl wouldn't touch a thing on her plate. However, I'm pretty sure there may have been some nutritional value in the 8 pounds of cookies, crackers, and bread she filled up on! And no worries about the Princess packing on anything from all the carbs she had. Baby Girl did nothing but run and play HARD at both festivities. Needless to say, we were all pooped after all the fun!

**This is where I wanted to insert a cute Thanksgiving picture of Jade. But all I got were shots of her running around like a little loon!**

And finally Merry Christmas! My FAVORITE time of year. Where we get to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The Christ. The Savior! I pray that I would truly be focused on that this year, and that we would help our Precious Daughter see that He is truly the reason we are celebrating.

And so, I leave you with a blast from the past. (Please excuse the tag on Ms. Minnie Pearl's hat.)

Election Day '08

2008-11-04T22:32:00.003-06:00

Well folks, only about a hour and a half until Election Day '08 is officially over.

I hate conflict. Although, I am not afraid to speak when I know it is what I am being commanded to do. Not that I should sound or try to be righteous, because Lord knows I am still just a wretch. But all the turmoil in our nation has been breaking my heart. I love my country, and I know I was born and raised here for a reason. God is sovereign. He is perfect, and His plans and timing are beyond our comprehension. "For who knows the mind of our God, and who can bring counsel to him..."

I voted today. I felt proud, honored and privileged to have a voice in what may happen to this nation. So.. as the day is nearing its end, I am filled with joy and with a little angst. All the debating, and he said she said is finally drawing to a close. And NBC is predicting Obama to be our next president.

Things have not been looking too pretty for our "great nation" for sometime.. and from what I've seen, I don't think it will be getting much better. But what I fear most is that people will not heed the warnings and wake-up calls. No matter what happens, no matter who sits in the Oval Office.. I serve a Higher King. He is Sovereign. He is good. And I know.. His hand is over EVERYTHING. NOTHING will ever change that.

So, tonight.. as I go to bed, I will rest in that. I will have a peace that surpasses all understanding. I will rest in the fact that He works everything for His own glory. And yes, things may not be all rosy for me and my little family.. we may have hardships, and we may struggle... but I know that God still sits on the throne... and He ALWAYS will!

Did you know?

2008-10-23T11:25:00.003-05:00

That autumn (or fall, whichever you prefer) is actually code for "season of soups." Friends, I kid you not. That's really what it mean. Well. At least in my book it does. I get stupid happy when it starts turning the slightest bit cool! Because it means I can start cooking all my yummy soups. Not only are they yummy, but they are super inexpensive to make and last forever!

Tonight, I will be making this beauty:

Taco Soup

Although poor Hubs.. when he saw the lineup for this week solemnly said "I don't think I'm ready for that yet." (Referring of course to the taco soup.) Did I mention how much I love to make soups? OOoohh, another great point.. I can start this bad boy at about 4:30ish-5ish.. we can go work out.. and it will still taste WONDERFUL when we get back. (And of course, leftovers always heat up as good as new.)

Recipe:

1 lb Hamburger Meat

1 packet Ranch seasoning/dip mix

1 packet Taco seasoning

1 can Mexican style stewed tomatoes (sometimes I just use regular ones if I can't find Mex. style)

1 can normal corn

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Brown hamburger meat (salt and pepper to taste), drain, put in slow cooker or big ol' pot, add the rest of the ingredients and a couple (or whatever looks right) can fulls of water to pot. Let it cook on medium/low until temperature is just right.

We usually garnish ours with shredded cheddar and sour cream... and tortilla chips!

Hope you enjoy your *Season Of Soups*! =)

Professional Park People

2008-10-21T21:34:00.011-05:00

6 Kids, 1 Park, 1 Long Walk.. and Another Park= Tons*Of*Fun

Today I learned that my nephews are part chimp.. and one is even part camel!

"Well. How do you get up there?"

Isn't this just so sweet? Jade loves her cousins!

LOL is all I have to say about this one!

After our long morning out in the parks, we headed back to my house. We all scarfed down peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like we hadn't eaten in two weeks. They were delicious. Although I had a hard time convincing my neices and nephews that I use the same brand Jelly my sister uses. I tried foolishly to also tell them we used the same peanut butter. They weren't fooled.

As my sister came to collect her precious treasures, I tried to work out an arrangement, if you will, with my neice. Instead of having to take a nap today, she could stay up and answer my calls and do all my work. She found that rather amusing. I was not kidding. I will be sleeping like a rock tonight dear friends.

Ordinary Day

2008-10-20T20:18:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning, quite refreshed.. and anticipating a tall cup of fresh coffee Thanks to Mr. Amazing, I enjoyed sipping on it while I worked and peeked out the window every once in a while to a beautiful sunrise. Pretty soon, the most beautiful noise filled my ears. The Princess had awoken and was talking so sweetly in her room, just kind of babbling. We had fun eating breakfast together. I threw on some clothes, and we went to go pump some iron. (Sidenote: Don't become really good, ie best friends with people who own a gym. It just makes you want to workout. Hah.) Jesus and I had some great time together on the elyptical machine thanks to Watermark. After I was about to break out in a completely grotesque sweat, we left to go home and enjoy lunch.. and a bit of random play time. And after Jade's nap we went to the park. It was so beautfiful outside, and BONUS: we did not start dripping sweat as soon as we set foot outside. So, I guess we have our own version of fall here. Jade enjoyed the dirt/mulch the most at the park. You can call a girl a Princess as much as you want.. it doesn't mean she will always act like one! =)

FINALLY, after what seemed like an eternity, the Amazing Mr. came home. We grilled our shish-ka-bobs on our awesome deck. Well. We started out there, and then we ran out of propane. But thanks to Mr Foreman and his Lean Mean Grilling Machine, dinner was salvaged. After dinner, we let the dishes just sit. (Thanks to much coersing from the Amazing Mr., I did not immediately rush inside to do them.) Then, we ran around like wild goons telling the Princess we were going to "get her," and listened to the most precious giggles and squeals erupt out of her cute little mouth. Once it got too dark to be out, we came in. I did the dishes and peeked over the bar to see Jade showing every book she has to her daddy.. occasionally wrapping her sweet little arms around his neck.

In the blink of an eye, it was bed time. Jade thought it was hilarious to waller around on her tummy and then splash real crazy like in the bath. Then, we dressed her, prayed, and I rocked her for just a bit. I put her in her bed with her little blanket and Violet (her purple, stuffed hippo.)

So there you have it.. just another very *extra* ordinary day in our crazy/normal little life.

Party Hard-y

2008-10-19T22:03:00.006-05:00

Is that how that is spelled?

Anyways, we had a blast celebrating sweet Lela's 3rd birthday at her house! Our friends have the cutest cottage-y, country type house on the cutest little acre or so of land.. with the most picturesque surroundings. Lela may have been the birthday girl, and center of attention.. but I was able to snap some really cute shots of the Princess doing her own thing.

This one is a bit blurry.. but I think you get the point.

Princess On A Mission

"Why in the world does this ball have all these bumpy things on it?"

Our friend made some really cute favor bags for the party guests, which included theme oriented favors. Jade got a really cute animal mask and a farm book. I knew I should have given away tiara's and jewels at Jade's 1st Birthday Party.. I know my nephews would have totally love that!! =)

Sidenote: Princess can now get off high surfaces safely. (Like the couch, our bed, etc... all of course under our supervision.) And today she scooted down the stairs on her bottom.. but I have no idea where she learned that.

Busy, Busy weekend

2008-10-19T14:50:00.004-05:00

This weekend was an absolute blast! Friday night we fellowshipp'ed with some friends and did much of nothing. Saturday morning, we were lazy for a bit and then met some more friends at the Pumpkin Patch. It as an absolutely, beautifully perfect day to be out. And every once in a while, we caught a nice breeze... because Texas just doesn't understand that it is AUTUMN! Nonetheless, we enjoyed chasing after Jade, going on a hayride and even a train ride. Afterwards, we enjoyed the best beverage in the world, why Sweet Tea of course, at Chick-fil-A. (Can you believe we totally missed some other friends that were meeting us there? The Patch is crazy!)

This is the best family picture we could manage. Did I mention how beautifully, sunny it was?

Rewind approximately 365 days... that have just flown by!

We stopped home for a bit, and then we were off to celebrate another friend's 3rd birthday. Pictures of that event to come later.

For now, I will be taking full advantage of the Sabbath.. and an exhausted, napping toddler!

Indulgence

2008-10-14T21:26:00.007-05:00

The Precious Princess had a little bit of a rough time drifiting off into dreamworld tonight.

So, after she was tuckered out...

I had one of these (not the whole box, just one)

with a glass of this.

But, now I am off to indulge in something divinely better

.. with a little bit of this on the side.

And some of this playing to lead me into the Almighty's presence...

Bear with me..

2008-10-09T22:34:00.000-05:00

Or is it bare with me? ... Hmm..

Anyhow.. we're getting a face-lift here people! Mommy Ramblings will soon be fall-ish.. just bare with me while I get it situated!

Working in my home..

2008-10-07T12:56:00.006-05:00

Phillipians 2: 12-18
12So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

14Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

17But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

18You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me
I pray in all things.. that I would work out my salvation with fear in trembling. That I would be sensitive the Word of God and the convictions God has entrusted me with. Looking back through different seasons of my life, I can see some pretty big lessons, foundations, building blocks.. God was showing me. I am so grateful that God didn't just save me.. and say "There you go." How unexplainably sweet it is that He is not finished.. that He is still at work within me. Because let's face it.. I need it. Through each season, through each lesson, I pray that my attitude would not be negative and would not be full of complaining. But that I would find joy in the mere fact that He is not finished..that when I work, or whatever I do.. I do it all for His glory.

Since the day our precious Princess was born, life has certainly never been the same. And while I am not a seasoned Mother by any means, or one so full of wisdom; I do know this.. I am learning new "lessons" each and every day. Over the past year, I struggled with the fact that I was working outside of our home. While I am not opposed to working if need be, I was so strongly convicted over the fact that I was not being what I know God wanted me to be, a stay at home mom. I was convicted over the things that I counted as "necessities" for so long. (Cable TV, newer cars, new clothes every few months, going out to eat.) Not that it is wrong to indulge in these things, but they became necessities in my life. Through His perfect grace and mercy.. He started moulding me, if you will. These "things" suddenly became roadblocks in me pursuing what I knew I had to do. While it even seemed a bit crazy to rid us of several of those things, we knew we were doing what was best for our family.. doing what we are called to do in the Word.

And no, I do not think it is an abominal sin to have cable TV, to have new clothes, and to go out to eat. If we could afford to indulge in these things, I'm sure we would every once in a while.

I think this video pretty much sums it up.

Thank God for my Husband..

2008-10-04T13:42:00.007-05:00

For his voice of reason when Old Navy is having a ginormous sale.. and everything, literally EVERYTHING looks like it would be so precious on our little princess!

Now, do you see the damage that was almost done?

Freedom

2008-10-03T20:24:00.003-05:00

Way back when.. I was beyond blessed to see first hand just a glimmer of the amazing things God is doing across seas. I was blessed to be used to Glorify Him on some foreign mission trips. I can't even begin to desribe how those trips truly opened my eyes to just how AWESOME God is. After returning from one of those trips, I somehow stumbled upon this incredible book called The Voice of The Martyrs. I don't know how exactly, but I ended up with it..and was enthralled by it. I probably read it in about two days. All the stories in it were such a foreign concept. Poeple being persecuted for their faith in the most Holy of Holies? Hmm.. I guess a little teasing in school and weird looks don't count as persecution in the light of what some of these people had gone through. I thank God for opening my foolish eyes; for opening my eyes to the precious believers that are literally riksing EVERYTHING to make His name known.

So, when I "happened" to stumble across this blog, my heart broke and rejoiced for these people all in one! If you have a spare moment, visit http://www.wearethatfamily.com/2008/08/when-god-steps-in.html. (Sorry, I don't know how to make it all fancy and shortened!) I pray that as you read this 5 part story, you would be encouraged.. that your affections would be stirred for the real Joy-giver.. and that you be blessed.

Five for Friday

2008-10-03T13:28:00.004-05:00

1. Showered before the day "began", did my hair and even put on make-up!

2. Enjoyed a delicious breakfast of McD's hotcakes and coffee with my baby girl.

3. Got to have lunch with the amazing Mr.

4. Got an autumn-y smelling candle that just smells divine.

5. Just found out the amazing Mr. just might be coming home a little early tonight! (We miss him a lot lately.. going to school 2 nights a week and then all day Saturday is rough on us girls.. and Sampson!)

GENIUS!

2008-10-03T10:45:00.004-05:00

Sometimes, I think my whit and smartness even suprises me. That is, until I am around my daughter.. then I pretty much just feel like a pea-brain sometimes.

Jade is very much into the not liking vegetables stage right now. Or not liking something today that she loved yesterday. But last night, I have to admit that I out-whitted the smartest princess in all the land. No matter what we are eating, Jade HAS to have a bite. So, I made myself some mixed veggies and of course.. she wanted some. Girlfriend probably ate at least 4 days worth of veggies with dinner last night! Woot woot! And of course, the real fun began when I gave her the main course.. raviolis!!

Another thought... maybe if I just scattered my floor and Sampson's food bowl with veggies.. she would probably eat them all day and every day! Seriously, its a thought I should really consider.

WOOHOO!

2008-09-29T14:04:00.002-05:00

Well.. after 15 long days, we finally have power! Can I just say how thankful I am for our families? Between our moms and extended family, we were well fed, cooled by fans at night, and I was able to keep working! Oh.. and thanks to Aunt J and Mom for keeping us in clean clothes!

Even through all the blessings, it was still a bit of a rough few weeks for us, literally. Poor Jade got into an ant bed and had about a dozen bites on one of her legs. She busted her lip at church. Playing a little rough with kittens over at KK's house left a few scratches on her arms. And she tripped on Grandma's concrete porch, giving her a few scratches on her big toes. She is one tough little Princess though. She didn't even cry once through all of that.

So, if you really want to know what comes out of not having power for two weeks.. other than being hot in your house and relying on others that do have power. You get to watch your baby girl develop sweet relationships with family that she isn't around all that much. (Working from my mom's house enabled Jade to get to know her Aunt, her Granny, her Grandmaw, Grandma's "Friend", and her cousin really well.) You get a much lower electric bill than what you are used to! And when you finally do get power.. you think you have never been so happy to finally run a vaccuum, the dishwasher, and do all your laundry in your own house!

Ike

2008-09-15T14:39:00.003-05:00

It was a doozy.. but we and all of our precious, material things made it through! Praise God that our house is still standing with absolutely no proof that Ike even passed through.

Our power has been out since Friday night, but we have had running water.. and family nearby with generators. So, we're clean and well fed! =)

And praise God for the nice little cool front that blew in yesterday, we even had to use the comforter at some point during the night! WOOHOO!

Unfortunately, a lot of others have not been quite as blessed to have made it through completely unscathed. My heart and prayers go out to those who aren't as fortunate.

BEAUtifull!

2008-09-09T21:48:00.006-05:00

We had an absolutely gorgeous weekend here! Let's just say when you walked outside, you didn't automatically melt into the ground. Intstead, it was almost a hint of fall. Well, the Texas version of fall anyways. And after a long week of work and missing Daddy, it made our weekend even better.

On Sunday, we finally put together a mini-jungle gym outdoor type thing that had been handed down to us by Grandma, Aunt Carrie and Cullen.

Jade's favorite part was opening and closing the little gate entrance. She didn't really get how to climb to get to the slides.

(** And yes.. I know our grass is in need of some serious TLC. Not to worry though, Jade realized she loves the water hose and we have had playing with that the past few days... so hopefully that will help!)

Just cause this one was too sweet not to post..

But right after this shot, she decided to chow down on some grass, the Little Billygoat!

Daredevil

2008-09-07T16:10:00.002-05:00

Jade has become all about climbing within the past couple of weeks. She climbs into her little rocking chair to rock her babies. She climbs up the stairs (with careful supervision, of course.) She climbs, she climbs, and climbs some more.

And this past week, she thought it would be funny to nearly give her mother a heart attack. Let's be real honest here. I love my daughter, I love watching her play, I love being involved in all the little things and the big, but I can't possibly keep my eye on her every moment of every day.

One of Jade's favorite things to climb into, is this little play table thing. The top comes off, and it is like a little storage bucket thing for the building blocks. Miss Priss loves to throw the top off, and yes, literally throws it off. Then, proceeds to chunk each and every building block behind her. After all this, she climbs in and will just sit in there for a few minutes. Or will get out and climb back in repeatedly. Well, one day this past week, I was in the kitchen doing somethin'. I came around the corner of our bar to peek on her. There she was, just standing up in the thing, smiling like she was happier than a pig in poop!

Coolest KK Ever!

2008-09-07T15:53:00.006-05:00

3 Smiles + 1 Smirk+ 2 Adorable Babies+ 1 Cute Toddler + 1 Hot KK= A REALLY GREAT PICTURE

Jade loved the carousel!!

She also really enjoyed skee-ball. As you can see.

Jade's KK recently had a birthday, and decided to have her birthday party at the coolest place ever... CHUCK-E-CHEESE'S! She wanted to make it fun for her grand-kids.. but we all ended up having a blast!

It's Here!!!

2008-08-29T22:49:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's actually here!! A day that I have prayed and wept for countless times over the past year. Since the day I had Jade, thoughts of being a stay at home Mom literally consumed me. The time I had for "maternity leave" was spent agonizing over thoughts of having to go back to work. Don't get me wrong, I still had plenty of time to squish in some sweet loving on that precious, little princess.. but I just dreaded the day I had to go back to work. And each time I felt that way, or started to feel that way again over the past year, I just prayed. Prayed for God to give me strength, prayed for a miracle for me to either work from home or be a stay at home Mom, and of course I thanked Him for the wonderful care my daughter was receiving. (We are so blessed to have had Nana and Aunt "Tis-tuh" watch Jade the past year.. and of course a handful of other family members when they had something conflicting.)

I've said it before and I will say it again. My husband is a very hard-working, loving provider for our family. He takes a healthy amount of pride in his work and is always looking out for our family's best interest. We live quite modestly, and have worked to keep it that way.. to be good stewards of what we have been blessed with. However, even the bare necessities can add up.

So.. we've prayed, and talked, and prayed and talked some more. We studied scriptures on what we believe my role in our household should be. I took a big leap and asked my boss to grant me my wildest wish. AND THEY SAID YES!! Of course, they had some improvements and tweaks to the "proposal" I had presented them with.. which is leaving us relying even more on the grace of God. Still, they said yes.

And so it begins.. I am a stay/work at home Mom! Now, thoughts of spending each and every day with my princess explode in my mind! How much fun it will be to teach her shapes, colors, the alphabet, numbers, how puzzles work, and of course most importantly, more about the awesome God we serve! WOOHOO! Thank you, Lord!

PARTY

2008-08-24T22:20:00.005-05:00

Ohmygoodness, who would have ever thought that such a simple act as a precious, little Princess turning 1 could be so tiring?

Jade is sound asleep in the next room, the Hubby is practically snoring at my side, and I'm barely able to keep my eyes open at the moment. What a great end to a splendid day! A day that seemed lightyears away 365 days ago, but now it has come and almost gone.

Our princess turned 1 in the company of most of her family and a lot of dear friends. We are so crazy blessed to have the kind of family and friends we do. Not many people would brave the Texas heat, but ours did for over 2 hours.

Pops and KK were so gracious to let us have the schindig at their house. The kids ran like wild commanches around the deck, into the pool, and even in the mini-moonwalk. (Thank you again M&B for letting us borrow that today! The kids really enjoyed it!!) And the Princess's birthday could not have been complete without the yummiest birthday cake ever! Made with love by Papoo and Nana of course!

All in all, it was a great afternoon spent in the company of really great people! Oh, and did I mention that Jade probably has enough dresses to clothe a small 3rd world village? Well, she does. And enough toys, puzzles, books and dolls to share too! But to be quite honest.. all of those "things" were just kind of like the "cherry on top." Not necessarily needed, but always appreciated!

Happy Birthday Princess!!

2008-08-23T23:10:00.004-05:00

To the sweetest Princess ever,

I can hardly believe that you are 1 year old today! Has it really been 365 days since you came into this world? Sitting here.. I can still feel the whirlwind of emotions that swirled through all of us that day. To be quite honest, I never have stopped feeling them. Each day you bring me, Daddy and so many other people so much joy. We are truly blessed to call you daughter. I still find it hard to fathom that God has entrusted us with such a special gift. Oh sweet Jade, you are so much more than anything we could have ever prayed or even dreamed for. You are the apple of our eye.

There are so many things I wish for you on your special day, and every other day for that matter. I only wish you could know how deeply Daddy and I love you so much.

In one short week, Mommy will get to be a "work at home" Mommy! Can you believe it? I can't wait to spend all day together! It will be so much fun. I can't wait to teach you more about this awesome God we serve and teach you about His son, Jesus! We will read books, sing praises, and pray together. It will be so much fun! More than anything, I wish for you to know Jesus as your personal Savior. Nothing in life can ever be sweeter than that. Not even 1 million kisses and hugs from the sweetest little princess that brings me so much joy each and every day. Know this my sweet daughter, Jesus is the only person that can bring you true, everlasting joy.

So, to you, on your birthday, my precious daughter, I promise that every day we spend together.. I will try my hardest to show you the love of Jesus in every way I possibly can.

I love you,

Mommy!

Books

2008-08-12T10:34:00.002-05:00

Educational.. and nutritious!

Jade has really gotten the hang of books over the past two weeks. Its so sweet to see her pick out her favorite (Jack and Jill and But Not The Hippopotamus) and read to herself. But most of the time she really likes to be read to. So, she'll bring me the book and plop down in my lap.

But then.. I look over and sometimes she is eating the book. I guess kind of somewhat like osmosis...but with eating. You would think paper was a rare delicacy the way she tears into the stuff.

Pride

2008-07-30T11:30:00.004-05:00

I'm so proud of my wonderful husband!

This is the new patio furniture to go on our new...

DECK!

(Sorry the picture isn't the greatest. The hubby took it at 9:30 with his phone after he finished!)

Thank you Lord for a handy husband, great sales, and friends in the right places!

11 Months

2008-07-30T09:17:00.005-05:00

Hi My Sweet Baby Girl,

The days seem to be going by faster and faster. You are just a tad bit over 11 months old now. This past month has been quite a month for you. You started walking, and you're practically running now. Its so cute to see you're prissy little walk. Most of the time you hold your hands up by your chest with your palms facing outward. And sometimes you kind of arch your back, and leave your hands down by your side with palms outward. Its so cute! You can squat and stand back up without holding onto anything. You are growing up so fast and getting stronger and smarter every day. When you don't want something, you will tell us "uh-uh" and shake your head. You love books now! You will sit and look at them for longer periods of time. And you flip through the pages. Your favorites are the books that make noise. There is one book that plays old hymns and you dance every time. Actually, you dance just about any time you here music at all. Your dancing skills are improving quite a bit. Now, you dance when you are standing and you bounce your knees.

Veggies really aren't your thing. You'll eat them sometimes.. but you prefer fruit, cheese, pasta, and "good meat." You'll eat almost any kind of meat I prepare for dinner.. but you really don't like lunch meat. And you're always so nice to share your food at the dinner table. You share with everyone.

Oh.. and you're starting to interact with other kids more now. Last week, we went to Mommy and Daddy's friend's house. When we got there, you gave your friend a hug. Then, you followed her almost everywhere. Its so neat to see your personality starting to come out more and more.

You hate bows now. I love to put these ridiculous bows on your head that would even look to big for my head. You rip them off almost immediately. I'm desperate to find the little velcro bows that just stick in your hair.

You are so smart. KK will stand you up on her counter to look out the window above her sink. You watch the birds. And when we ask you where the birds are, you point to the sky. You are learning how to point them out in books too! You also know that the cat is supposed to be called "kitty." We ask you "Where's the kitty" and you look for her, but you still call her a "pup." Silly girl.

I love you sweet, baby girl!

Love,

Mommy (and Daddy.. and of course, Sampson too!)

Pure Bliss

2008-07-25T11:39:00.003-05:00

I have to admit that one of my favorite times of the day is Jade's bedtime. Not because it is the end to a long day, and not because I "finally get a break". Usually, Jade gets a bath, puts on quite a show (=fit) while one of us gets her dressed, she nurses, brushes her teeth (which in itself is just precious), gets a sip of water, we usually pray.. and then my favorite happens. I cradle her in my arms and turn off her lamp. I walk over to her bed.. still cradling her. And we just stand there for a few minutes. We sway just a bit and most times I sing "You Are My Sunshine" to her. However, while this is going on, Jade plays the sweetest little games and gives the most delirious little giggles. She'll play with my hair, or grab my neck to pull me in for a tight hug. Sometimes I'm even fortunate enough to get a few kisses. And most nights I just nuzzle my face on hers.. and she explodes into these soft chuckles. Its too precious to even try to describe.

I cherish those moments before bedtime. Each day.. I wait in anticipation for it. Just those few minutes of lovin' on each other.

More waiting?

2008-07-24T11:54:00.002-05:00

Haha.. very funny, Lord.

I finally swallowed the fear, or confronted it in the face rather, and talked with my boss last week. I worked up this fancy proposal, went in all prepared, and practically begged for mercy to be able to work from home. The meeting went pretty good and I love the fact that my boss is so approachable and easy to talk to. And I love the fact that I have a praying family and close knit group of friends to take it to the Most High on my behalf.

To say the least, my boss was a bit shell-shocked with my proposal. (Going home every day for almost a year to see my daughter didn't give him any inclination?) However, he said he would get back with me at the end of this week.

All I have to say is.. yes God, I'm getting the message.. you know, about being patient and not trying to make my own plans. However, could you please help my boss stick to his word and REALLY get back with me by the end of this week? I'd appreciate it.. Thanks!

Ma-ma

2008-07-23T08:43:00.002-05:00

Matt and I have had this ridiculous competition to see whose name Jade would say first, Mama or Dada. I think it pretty much started the day we brought her home from the hospital. Unfortunately, my daughter did not say Mama first.. she said Dada. Suprise, suprise.

But on July 12th, I heard the sweetest thing ever. I set Jade down on the floor, walked off to go do something, and heard the cutest little voice say, "Mama!" Well.. it was more like a whiney voice. Still, it was so incredibly sweet and melted my heart. Woohoo! She can finally say my name! =)

Hallelujah!

2008-07-08T20:29:00.002-05:00

God is so sovereign! I'm so glad that He is God and I am not! Can I get an Amen, yall?

Here's my thinkin'... either God was getting tired of my pleas for patience.. or He might have known that my heart is just to stubborn sometimes. Either way.. our prayers have been answered (mostly) and the waiting is over! THANK YOU GOD!!!

My wonderful husband has been promoted at work and has been offered a nice salary. We are so completely humbled that God has graciously answered our prayers.

Now, the reason I say "mostly" is because I still have one small hurdle at my job. I'll still need to work part time from home to make sure the "ends are met", so to speak. So, please pray with us that my current employer (the awesome people that they are) will readily accept the proposal I've come up with!

And just to clarify.. even if God did not grant me the desires of my own selfish heart.. He is still sovereign and THE Almighty!

Daniel 6:18 "Even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

O Graciously Father.. I thank you for hearing my cries of desperation to be with my daughter.. raising here in our quaint home you have blessed us with. Father, grant me the patience, love, and kindness to show her how to Glorify you.. may we always point her to Jesus.. who gave us the perfect example of how to live a life that pleases and honors you. You are SO GOOD.. even though I do not deserve it. I thank you! Amen

Happy 4th!

2008-07-05T17:27:00.003-05:00

Family, bar-b-que, cream cheese shrimp jalapeno things, cocktail shrimp, and spending all day with our Princess... what could be better?

We had a great 4th of July.. but were tuckered out by the time all the pretty fireworks started. So, we headed home from KK & Pop's house a little early. But all in all.. we had a wonderful day!

She walks

2008-07-01T21:45:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it. She walks... she really walks!!

Jade has been toying with us for a few weeks, teasing us, and only taking a step or two. This afternoon, she walked across the living room at Aunt "Tista's" (or sometimes just Tuh) house. She decided that was enough for a while... or she decided to wait and really put on the real show for Momma and "Dah-dah".

The girl is a walkin' fool now! She hasn't stopped since we got home! Well, we did encourage her a bit at first. But after that, she's pretty much been walking 50% of the time she needs to get somewhere!

Happy (Belated) Birthday!

2008-06-30T12:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Dad!

I'm a little late.. surprise, surprise!

I miss you more than I thought I would, it still hurts so bad to think you aren't with us anymore.. and I wish you could have met your most beautiful granddaughter yet! But I know you are living the most extravagant, most awesome.. beyond my comprehension.. life ever! And I know you are having a blast doing it! I can't wait to sing side by side with you the loudest praise to the King Most High!

I love you Dad!

(Claude E. Graham 06/26/1944-11/21/2006)

What I meant to say was,

2008-06-26T09:14:00.002-05:00

6.

Jade now has 6 teeth!! The "fangs" finally broke through sometime during the night. At least... I think they broke through sometime during the night.

Anywho.. she has 6 teeth!

Duh-duh-DUUUUHHHH! Jade is 10 months!

2008-06-24T09:40:00.002-05:00

Hi Pun-kin Doodle!

I say this all the time.. but you are really growing up wayyyyy too fast! It seems like each day you are getting bigger and bigger. You are really looking like a mini-toddler now.. and losing your "baby" look little by litte! How has it been 10 months since the doctor put this squiglly looking, screaming thing on my belly... that of course just happened to be the most beautiful thing I had ever seen!?! These past 10 months have just been so wonderful, and we thank God every day for the blessing of you being in our lives!

This past month you have really been testing your own limits. You are getting so brave when you pull up now. You scoot around the furniture like a pro and will let go to stand on your own. You think its so funny to bounce a little.. and put your hands in the air. Like you're saying "whoa.. look what I can do!" You also fake laugh and smile.. a LOT. When we do something to make you smile or laugh and you don't really think its funny, you'll give us a fake smile with squinty eyes just to be polite. Sometimes we fake laugh just to hear your fake laugh! Its so cute!

Here are some of your favorite things right now:

Strawberries, grapes, bananas, cantelope.. well almost any fruit actually (you're not such a big fan of vegetables though)
Dog Food or anything on the floor (we always try to stop you, or try to get it out of your mouth though... which you really hate)
Sharing.. you are always so polite to offer Daddy, Mommy and even Sampson your food and sometimes your toys
Saying anything but Momma =)
Cell Phones
Pictures and picture frames
Wires (we always are having to either grab them out of your hands.. or stop you from getting to them)
Animals (real ones.. and no matter what it is.. its always "pup". The cat at KK & Pops house is "pup", the deer on vacation were "pup" and of course dogs are always "pup". )
Saying "bye bye" when we hang up the phone (even if you weren't the one talking to the other person on the phone)
Anything that isn't supposed to be a toy
Crawling to the door as fast as you can when you hear it open, and I say, "Where's Daddy?"
when Mommy and Daddy share whatever food or drink we have
Music.. you love it! You dance all the time or clap along.

Of course.. that list could go on and on.

I love you so much sweet, baby girl! You bring me more joy than you can imagine!

Love,

Mommy (and Daddy too, of course!)

Waiting

2008-06-24T09:22:00.002-05:00

I absolutely hate it! Well.. I mean.. I really, really dislike it STRONGLY!

I don't think its any secret that my biggest passion right now, beyond Jesus, is my family. (Well, if I'm going to be really honest, my prayer is that Jesus would be my biggest passion.. but sometimes isn't truly.) I can't tell you how badly I want to be a full time Mommy. I just remember the feeling of hopelessness I had while I was on maternity leave after I had Jade. My husband is a wonderful provider and the hardest worker I've ever known. (Well.. him and my own Dad.) But to be completely honest, living on his salary alone would leave us scraping quite a bit. When I returned to work, I felt like I would be here FOREVER... that I would NEVER get to be a full time mommy. It has been the cry of my heart for the past 10 months that God would work some kind of miracle. That He would help us get our finances in order, be so frugal its not even funny, and to provide more through my husband's wonderful job. Looking back over the last 10 months, He has definitely been moving mountains in our lives... and I truly believe He has heard and is slowly answering my selfish prayer. You may not see everything from the outside looking in, but I know my God has been moving mightily.

So.. here we are. Promises have been made.. and we're just waiting for them to be fulfilled. I don't have any doubt (well maybe just a teeny, tiny inkling because of my sinful nature) that they won't be fulfilled. But all this waiting is killing me!! =/ I've been trying to pray for patience.. hmm.. maybe I should pray harder and truly mean it?

Dear Ms. Princess,

2008-06-16T17:05:00.002-05:00

Do you know how cute it is when you crawl over to wherever I might be, and stand up with the support of my legs, and look up at me? Its just precious. But what's even cuter is the little smirk and the look of yearning in your eyes for me to pick you up! But what may be even cuter than that, is when you do look up at me.. you can only do it for maybe 2 seconds, because you almost topple backwards from looking straight up like that! Its sooo cute!

I love you precious baby and I'm so glad that we have been able to spend so much time together today!

Love,
Mommy

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T16:23:00.002-05:00

Dear Daddy,

Have I told you lately how you are the best Daddy in the whole entire world? Well, you are.. I promise! I love you so much! Don't worry.. I'm really a daddy's girl at heart. I just put on a show sometimes for Mommy to make her think I'm a momma's girl. (You know.. she's kind of sensitive about that. But think about it, I said your name first! I sure do have her fooled, don't I!)

Thank you for always making bath time so fun! Thank you for spoiling me with all the yummy food when Mommy isn't looking! Cake icing, ice cream, and coke are some of my favorites!

I love you so much Daddy,

Jade-a-roo

Hmmm...

2008-06-15T16:19:00.003-05:00

So, in a previous post, you may recall my complaints about my Princess not wanting to eat and then how she was teething on vacation. Well, look what we have to show for it all!

Sorry, I couldn't get much closer.. she likes to eat the camera.

Baby Girl has 3 teeth now! And I think I saw a 4th one starting to pop through also! WOOHOO! Way to go Jade!

Baby on Vaca

2008-06-13T22:22:00.006-05:00

A few weeks back, we took a mini vaca to Lake Travis with a few friends of ours. We had such a blast.. just relaxing out in the water and being lazy at the condo.

The day we left for Austin, Jade graduated to a forward facing carseat. I don't think she was all that impressed at first. Well.. I guess it was probably that and the fact that it was nap time. Either way, the first 45 minutes of the trip were just a little rough. Then, she was out like a light.

And as long as her belly was full, she was fully rested, and didn't have the "normal" lifejacket on.. She was perfectly content for the rest of the vacation. I'm beginning to thing Baby Girl is a bit of a diva. =)

Really though, I thought she did really great! Especially since her routine was all out of whack for the duration of the vacation. (HAH, I just rhymed.) Oh, and did I mention that she was also teething?

By far, one of my fav things about Lake Travis, The Pier (formerly shades.) Its just this little restaurant on the water. The food's good, the water's just gorgeous, and the catfish are GINORMOUS! Sometimes, I intentionally have leftovers..just so I can feed the fish! Just imagine their mouths big enough to fit your head in it. (Its not that big of an exaggeration, really!)

And because I know this is the real reason anyone ever reads this blog....

Dear Jade

2008-06-13T08:43:00.002-05:00

Thank you for sleeping through the night!

Love,

Mommy

(p.s. To the 4 people that might check my blog regularly =), sorry no real update yet! I've been a bit lazy lately and have just enjoyed "chilling" after the Princess goes to sleep!)

9 Months?!?!?!

2008-06-03T09:06:00.002-05:00

When did that happen? (Okay.. I really know when that happened, but I can't believe our precious angel is already 9 months old!)

Jade is still growing like a weed! At her 9 month check up, she was 30 inches tall (^97%) and weighed just under 22 pounds (90%).

She's still slowly transitioning into table foods. Some of her favorites are drinkable yogurt, cheese, anything a "grown up" is eating or drinking, strawberries and grapes. She is still REALLY good about not refusing most things. She'll usually eat a jar food and then some kind of fresh fruit or veggies with it.

And the strong little booger is almost walking! I can't believe it! She is starting to take steps just barely holding on to our finger or something small like a remote.

I'll have some pictures of Jade's 1st vacation and other cute things that have been happening sometime this week.

Such a big girl!

2008-05-21T23:09:00.002-05:00

For the past couple of weeks Jade has not been all that thrilled about eating. I know, TOTALLY WEIRD, right? And now, Miss Priss completely refuses to be spoonfed about 95% of the time. I've been slowly transitioning her into table foods. (3rd stage foods were not a big hit with her. Well, if I'm being completely honest, she hated them.) So, I've been giving her easily mashed things and monitoring her really closely.

And tonight, she had her first real big girl meal. Cantelope, grated cheese, and green beans. Impressive menu, huh? I must admit neither my fridge nor my pantry was ready for this full-on transition.

Jade.. you're breakin' Momma's heart growing up so fast! But I sure do love every single bit of it! I can't believe we (Daddy and Mommy) have been blessed with such a beautiful and smart baby girl!

Daddy's little girl

2008-05-19T22:07:00.003-05:00

Jade has been quite the blabber mouth. She was talking in her sleep by the time she was a month old..and hasn't been quiet since!

KK & Pops started working with Jade when she was about 4 months old on "Bye, Bye". And boy has she mastered that now! If one of us is holding her and she decides she's ready to leave, she'll just start waving and saying "BYE." Its soooo cute and totally diva!

Next was Pup! And that by far is her FAVORITE word... and her favorite thing. Sure, people may think she is a momma's girl. But really, the absolute fav thing in her life is probably her fur-brudder Sampson. The first words out of her mouth EVERY morning.. "pup", in the cutest little sleepy voice. Then, her eyes dart around looking for him.

But last night.. the unthinkable happened. She chose to say a very sweet word. However.. she chose to say it out of order. I was holding her. Then, she reached for Matt. As he went to get her, she started saying "Dada dada dada dada." (Yes, probably pure coincidence.. but we have been working on her for a while so who knows.) I knew Jade was gonna beat the odds and knock everyone's socks off and say "Mama" first. The inevitable is slowly happening.. she is becoming a little daddy's girl. And honestly, I'm pleased as punch about it. I love to watch them together... melts my heart!

Mother's Day

2008-05-13T15:57:00.005-05:00

We had a really really fun day Sunday... just spending time together as a family. Church was great... the McDonalds coffee on the way to church was AMAZING...lunch was VERY good (I don't know the last time I had good Mexican food was)...hanging out at home was the best! Here's a few pics of us just being a family!

Question?

2008-05-13T15:54:00.002-05:00

Does carpet fuzz/specs of things found in the carpet hold any type of nutrition for growing babies? Like, maybe protein.. or a really good source of vitamin A. Or maybe a high percentage of carbs! I hope so.

Note to self: Try to be quicker at Jade's supersonic reflex of picking any tiny spec up and eating it.

Sweet baby girl

2008-05-06T22:25:00.002-05:00

Dear Jade,

I love you very much. I'm sorry I had to let you cry and get all upset tonight at bedtime. But you were so mad at me for trying to put you to sleep. I tried rocking you and singing your favorite bedtime song. You just wanted to play and play. So, I put you in your bed...and you got super upset. I tried consoling you by patting your back. Then I tried rubbing your head gently like I did when you were still so itty bitty. Well, that just seemed to make you even madder.

That left me no choice. I did the unthinkable. I left you in your bed, crying your little heart out. It broke my heart to hear you cry such a big girl cry. It wasn't all sweet and soft like your new cousin's cries. It was a "Mommy, puhlleeaaaasssse come back" cry. I heard every bit of it. And I promise.. I didn't let you cry like that forever. It was only 4 minutes. And as silly as it may sound, I think those 4 minutes were a lot harder on me than they were you.

I came back into your room, cuddled you in my arms, and we just swayed for a bit. You were out like a light before I even had time to blink.

Now, lesson learned, right? Just fall asleep while Mommy is rocking you and save us both the agony! =)

Love,
Mommy

SOOOO Dreamy!!

2008-04-30T16:54:00.003-05:00

Much to her father's dismay, Jade is a big fan of this guy!

We had "Idol" on in the background last night.. as I was cleaning up the dinner mess, Matt was showering, and Jade was just kind of romping around before bath time. She was playing with her toys until Mr. Archie came on. Then she got into this little trance and stared at the TV the entire time he was singing!

Springtime is WONDERFUL!

2008-04-28T21:48:00.004-05:00

These are from a few weeks ago... one of the first REALLY warm days here. It was just beautiful outside, and we had lots of fun taking pictures of Jade! (Well.. and her Aunt Krista for her "Senior Pics".)

Where's Jade?

2008-04-22T21:06:00.005-05:00

The other night, I was taking care of dishes; unloading the dishwasher, rinsing dirty dishes, and reloading. Jade was in her walker, really scooting around. She patted and slapped at the chairs and barstools. I looked up and over the bar and what did I see?

Children

2008-04-21T10:42:00.004-05:00

I'm not quite sure where this might lead, but I have had some things burning on my heart lately..and just need an outlet! So, I'm going to pause on the "Mommy Ramblings"-about Jade at least- for a moment or two, and just pour my heart out.

Now, where to begin?

Can I just tell you how much it hurts when I read of all the child abuse that seems to be running rampant in our country/world? Not that my heart doesn't hurt for any other injustice or other evil acts, but my heart especially aches for the children. I get so angry. I cry. I want to scream, and I want to literally beat some sense into those who do those things to these kids. At the same time, I'm overwhelmed with compassion and just want to bear hug them. "For they know not what they do..." Not exactly the same thing, but something tells me these people just don't have a clue. For all the babies that aren't hugged or kissed enough. (I'm sure Jade wishes I would just stop kissing her sometimes and give her some breathing room from all the hugs.) For the small children who aren't praised for every little accomplishment... even if all they do is put on a t-shirt! For the older ones who aren't told I love you and you are special. My heart aches.

Children have always held a special place in my heart. Since having Jade, my heart is even more burdened for these kiddos.

One huge thing that is going on right now... the FLDS sect that has been raided, and the children shipped off. My heart is somewhat joyful that these sweet children/adolescents are out of the immenint danger of sexual abuse. And I say somewhat only because can you imagine what the mothers must be feeling? They are teaching their children their lifestyle and beliefs, and what they believe to be right... "train up a child in the way they should go"... and yet their children are snatched from their homes. May they come to know the sweet love and grace of my Perfect Savior.

Another "thing" that is going on, something I was completely oblivious to and probably not aware of: child trafficking. Sunday, I had the privilege of hearing a passionate Believer talk on the abolition of child slavery.. specifically on sex slavery. Can I even put into words the hurt my heart holds for these precious children who are subject to such vile acts? I would encourage you to go to www.love146.org and educate yourself on the subject. Oh how greatful I am that I was raised in a loving, nurturing and God-fearing home. I praise God that I led a somewhat "sheltered" life, and my eyes were shielded from things such as this.

I also encourage you to do what you can. For me, the first step is prayer.. taking it to the Almighty Healer... the Most Holy Sovreign One. Maybe one day.. maybe we could give our time to volunteer at an orginization. Maybe one day.. we will open our home to a child who just needs a loving embrace, and a pat on the back... who needs a family and a personal relationship with Jesus. Maybe..just maybe.

I'm still here...

2008-04-20T21:07:00.002-05:00

I think if my little blog had a soundtrack, the sound of distant, quiet crickets would fill the air right now.

Sorry its been forever since I've shared about the cutest baby girl in the whole entire world! Life has- and I mean my real life, not my geeky somewhat obsessive blog reading life- been a bit busy lately! (Jade got an ear infection, I got a funky eye infection, and Nana went on vacation...leaving me working from home full time while keeping up with "toots." We had so much fun, but of course missed the Nan'.)

Anyways.. all this to say, please stay tuned.. Adorable pictures and more ramblings to come very soon!

Thanks!

Oh, she KNOWS!

2008-03-31T21:26:00.003-05:00

I promise you that I really do have the smartest 7 month old baby on the face of the earth. And I'm pretty sure she really does know the meaning of the word "NO."

Why else would she give me the coyest little smile when I tell her "NO"?

Case in point: tonight we were going to try the whole self-sooth thing out. (Whoever invented that must have been either deaf, or without a heart... or maybe both? ;) ) So, Jade was crying, well mainly complaining in her bed. After a while, I could not take it anymore. I tried patting her while she was in her crib. Miss Priss wasn't gonna settle with just that. So, I picked her up. Her head crashed onto my shoulder and she was just about out.

I may make it look easy with my insanely toned arms (note sarcasm there <--), but holding a 21lb chunkster really isn't all that easy. So, we rocked for a few minutes. Jade would rare her head back, look around and then put her head back down. After she did this for a little while, I told her "NO" each time she did it. And do you know what she did? The little stinker would look right at me after I told her NO, give me this little delerious grin and cut her eyes at me!

I tell you.. the Lord wasn't kidding when He said that we are born with a sinful nature!

Mommy Ramblings

Wonderfully Made

Perspective

One of those Moms

Season

Free Stuff?

Transparent

Thirty doll-hairs

Roll over, roll over

A New Chapter

Block Party

Sisterly Love

Mommy plays hooky!

Sweet Little Bella

Jade-isms

Not exactly starting over...

Uh-oh

Flips

Upon arriving at home tonight...

Testing

Ain't she cuu-uute?

Double Trouble

Well, Hello there!

What I'm doing right now..

Progress

Easter Weekend

She Pooped!!

Fantasy and Reality

Jade Says..

Springtime

Just what we needed

Strand B

Jade Says..

Weekend Recap

For my sister..

Favorites

Ummm... Pants

In which I confess...

Spoiled Rotten

"Lush You"

Christmastime is..

Oh, and Did I mention..

Christmas Cookies

Weekend Recap

Much Better

I'm tired ya'll.

I heart...

While on Hiatus..

Did you notice?

Merry Christmas...

Election Day '08

Did you know?

Professional Park People

Ordinary Day

Party Hard-y

Busy, Busy weekend

Indulgence

Bear with me..

Working in my home..

Thank God for my Husband..

Freedom

Five for Friday

GENIUS!

WOOHOO!

Ike

B*E*A*U*tifull!

Daredevil

Coolest KK Ever!

It's Here!!!

*P*A*R*T*Y*

Happy Birthday Princess!!

Books

Pride

11 Months

Pure Bliss

More waiting?

Ma-ma

Hallelujah!

Happy 4th!

She walks

BEAUtifull!

PARTY