We told the girls Thursday night. They REALLY wanted this to be a girl, so they were pumped! And from the way they've been talking, it sounds like they already have lots of plans for their new baby sister!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Pink Rocks!
On Thursday we had our sonogram, and found out we are having another baby GIRL!!! We are soooooo excited! They checked her from the top of her sweet head to the tip of her beautiful little toes and dubbed her "perfect"! We are so grateful that she is healthy. Here is a picture of our beautiful new daughter:
We told the girls Thursday night. They REALLY wanted this to be a girl, so they were pumped! And from the way they've been talking, it sounds like they already have lots of plans for their new baby sister!
We told the girls Thursday night. They REALLY wanted this to be a girl, so they were pumped! And from the way they've been talking, it sounds like they already have lots of plans for their new baby sister!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Day
We have been sooooo ready for this 3-day weekend!!!
Ok, I know that the REAL purpose of Memorial Day is to take time to remember the people who have so bravely fought and are still fighting so that we can enjoy the freedom that our beautiful country has to offer. We chatted with the girls about that this weekend, and we prayed together for our troops.
But we also took some much-needed time to just hang out as a family, and it was great! We visited our neighborhood pool for the first time this summer. We had a family movie night, complete with warm brownies and ice cream. We also grilled out, played games outdoors, and tested out our new slip-n-slide. This is the first Memorial Day weekend that our family has spent in a house, and we enjoyed our backyard immensely!
Ok, I know that the REAL purpose of Memorial Day is to take time to remember the people who have so bravely fought and are still fighting so that we can enjoy the freedom that our beautiful country has to offer. We chatted with the girls about that this weekend, and we prayed together for our troops.
But we also took some much-needed time to just hang out as a family, and it was great! We visited our neighborhood pool for the first time this summer. We had a family movie night, complete with warm brownies and ice cream. We also grilled out, played games outdoors, and tested out our new slip-n-slide. This is the first Memorial Day weekend that our family has spent in a house, and we enjoyed our backyard immensely!
Lil' Cowgirls
The girls have each had a Western Day at their schools within the past three weeks or so, and I just had to post these pics of my darling little cowgirls!
I know I'm a yankee and all, but [insert southern drawl] that thar purple vest was mine when I was a young-un myself. So I guess I got me some cowgirl roots after all, y'all!
P.S. - I'm still playing catch-up with getting pics posted on here, so please bear with all of the rapid-fire posts!
I know I'm a yankee and all, but [insert southern drawl] that thar purple vest was mine when I was a young-un myself. So I guess I got me some cowgirl roots after all, y'all!
P.S. - I'm still playing catch-up with getting pics posted on here, so please bear with all of the rapid-fire posts!
Field Day
Friday was Field Day at Ally's school. Ally was so excited - she had been counting down the days for two weeks! One of the perks was that she was allowed to wear her swimsuit under her "school-appropriate clothing". It was a good thing, too, since most of the activities were water activities. Sophie and I went and watched the action for a while, it was a blast!
Ally's teacher (I LOVE Ally's teacher!) and I were laughing at the fact that back in our day it was called "Track and Field Day", complete with serious relays, competitions and ribbons. It was really only fun for the ribbon winners. Neither of us were ever ribbon winners.
Ahem...anyhoo...
Ally's class even made their own t-shirts for the occasion - a really cute keepsake of hand prints! Here are some pics of the day...
Ally's teacher (I LOVE Ally's teacher!) and I were laughing at the fact that back in our day it was called "Track and Field Day", complete with serious relays, competitions and ribbons. It was really only fun for the ribbon winners. Neither of us were ever ribbon winners.
Ahem...anyhoo...
Ally's class even made their own t-shirts for the occasion - a really cute keepsake of hand prints! Here are some pics of the day...
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Little Nurse
Monday morning last week I woke up with a stomach bug. It threw me for quite a loop, since I had a long to-do list for the day. I still managed to get some things done in the morning, I just had to move a little more slowly. At lunch time Sophie expressed concern, because she noticed I wasn't eating.
"If you don't eat, you won't get any energy, Mom."
I tried to explain that there are days it is definitely better to NOT eat, and showed her the Gatorade and crushed ice I was sipping. She was still quite concerned, and asked me throughout the next couple of hours when I was going to be able to eat.
By the time we got home from picking Ally up from school, I was feeling pretty weak. I grabbed her backpack so I could go through her folder, then collapsed on the couch. I just laid there with my eyes closed for a few minutes as I came to the realization that I was perhaps a little more sick than I had originally thought.
Suddenly my sweet Sophia climbed up onto the couch and snuggled into me. She stroked my head a couple of times and said "It's ok, Mom. If you're sick, I'll stay right here with you".
Somehow I felt a little better...
"If you don't eat, you won't get any energy, Mom."
I tried to explain that there are days it is definitely better to NOT eat, and showed her the Gatorade and crushed ice I was sipping. She was still quite concerned, and asked me throughout the next couple of hours when I was going to be able to eat.
By the time we got home from picking Ally up from school, I was feeling pretty weak. I grabbed her backpack so I could go through her folder, then collapsed on the couch. I just laid there with my eyes closed for a few minutes as I came to the realization that I was perhaps a little more sick than I had originally thought.
Suddenly my sweet Sophia climbed up onto the couch and snuggled into me. She stroked my head a couple of times and said "It's ok, Mom. If you're sick, I'll stay right here with you".
Somehow I felt a little better...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Dirty Little Secret
Last week I went out to dinner with some girlfriends to celebrate one of them turning 31. We had a fun, relaxing time, and it was so good to catch up and reconnect with my sweet friends.
Sometime during our evening, I confessed a dirty little secret: during my first trimester of fatigue and sickness, I had let laundry get WAY out of control - and it had stayed that way, even when I started feeling better. When I mean out of control, I mean not just a load or two behind. I mean that the entire guest bedroom off the laundry room had become FILLED with clean, unfolded laundry! The entire queen-sized bed was no longer visible due to the giant mounds of laundry, and there were overflowing baskets on the floor. The top of my dryer was full, too, along with every bit of hanging space I had available. The problem became embarrassingly, overwhelmingly huge. Everything was clean, we just didn't know where any of it was! We wasted so much time digging through "the pile" to find matching socks or a pair of underwear, and almost every dresser drawer in our house was completely empty. The girls got used to me saying, "I don't know where your nightie is, go dig through 'the pile' and find something!"
In all of my years of laundry-doing, it had NEVER gotten this bad. Occasionally Ray or I, and sometimes even the girls, would try to get in there and get some of it folded when we had the chance. But then the folded stuff would just get re-buried into "the pile" when another pair of socks had to be found. "The pile" had become a beast that I seemed incapable of taming!
I shared this with my friends, feeling like I was getting a deep, dark secret off my chest. They were not shocked by my secret. They remained calm. I felt no disdain from any of them. It seemed, in fact, that perhaps my little secret was not so completely abnormal. They simply suggested that I find a day when I could have "fold laundry" be the ONLY thing I put on my to-do list for that day, then go to it.
So this past Friday was "the day". As soon as Ally was off to school, I prayed that God would bless my efforts as I went to work, folding and sorting like a mad woman. It took me most of the morning. I discovered clothes I had forgotten we had. I found a couple of Ray's sweaters, and even some of the girls' winter tights (yes, I know it's mid-May!). I lugged full laundry baskets up the stairs SIX times. I put every last sock in its proper drawer. I cleaned off the top of the dryer and made sure every hanging item was hung in its appropriate closet. It was exhilarating!
When all was said and done, I took a moment to drink in the view of our beautiful, clean guest bed and my empty laundry room. The girls and I celebrated this monumental achievement by dragging out the inflatable pool and enjoying the gorgeous afternoon outside, complete with a picnic dinner. It didn't matter to me that the rest of my house was still in disarray. I had defeated the pile! I had tamed the beast!!
Since then, I have developed some new laundry policies for myself. I try to do a load almost every day (another suggestion from one of my friends) instead of having marathon laundry days, and I make sure that each load is folded and put away before I go to bed. So simple, but it has made a huge, burden-lifting difference.
Next I will work on taming some of the other "beasts" that have taken up residence in my home of late (any ideas for cluttered counter tops?). But for now, I will take some time to enjoy this one small victory!
Sometime during our evening, I confessed a dirty little secret: during my first trimester of fatigue and sickness, I had let laundry get WAY out of control - and it had stayed that way, even when I started feeling better. When I mean out of control, I mean not just a load or two behind. I mean that the entire guest bedroom off the laundry room had become FILLED with clean, unfolded laundry! The entire queen-sized bed was no longer visible due to the giant mounds of laundry, and there were overflowing baskets on the floor. The top of my dryer was full, too, along with every bit of hanging space I had available. The problem became embarrassingly, overwhelmingly huge. Everything was clean, we just didn't know where any of it was! We wasted so much time digging through "the pile" to find matching socks or a pair of underwear, and almost every dresser drawer in our house was completely empty. The girls got used to me saying, "I don't know where your nightie is, go dig through 'the pile' and find something!"
In all of my years of laundry-doing, it had NEVER gotten this bad. Occasionally Ray or I, and sometimes even the girls, would try to get in there and get some of it folded when we had the chance. But then the folded stuff would just get re-buried into "the pile" when another pair of socks had to be found. "The pile" had become a beast that I seemed incapable of taming!
I shared this with my friends, feeling like I was getting a deep, dark secret off my chest. They were not shocked by my secret. They remained calm. I felt no disdain from any of them. It seemed, in fact, that perhaps my little secret was not so completely abnormal. They simply suggested that I find a day when I could have "fold laundry" be the ONLY thing I put on my to-do list for that day, then go to it.
So this past Friday was "the day". As soon as Ally was off to school, I prayed that God would bless my efforts as I went to work, folding and sorting like a mad woman. It took me most of the morning. I discovered clothes I had forgotten we had. I found a couple of Ray's sweaters, and even some of the girls' winter tights (yes, I know it's mid-May!). I lugged full laundry baskets up the stairs SIX times. I put every last sock in its proper drawer. I cleaned off the top of the dryer and made sure every hanging item was hung in its appropriate closet. It was exhilarating!
When all was said and done, I took a moment to drink in the view of our beautiful, clean guest bed and my empty laundry room. The girls and I celebrated this monumental achievement by dragging out the inflatable pool and enjoying the gorgeous afternoon outside, complete with a picnic dinner. It didn't matter to me that the rest of my house was still in disarray. I had defeated the pile! I had tamed the beast!!
Since then, I have developed some new laundry policies for myself. I try to do a load almost every day (another suggestion from one of my friends) instead of having marathon laundry days, and I make sure that each load is folded and put away before I go to bed. So simple, but it has made a huge, burden-lifting difference.
Next I will work on taming some of the other "beasts" that have taken up residence in my home of late (any ideas for cluttered counter tops?). But for now, I will take some time to enjoy this one small victory!
The Big Finale to the Birthday Weekend!
One of Ally's special requests for her birthday in March was to go to a place called Amazing Jakes. I guess you could describe it as something like Dave & Busters, with a little Chuck E. Cheese rolled in. None of us had ever been before, but Ally heard through the school grapevine that it was a great place to hang out. And since it just so happened that someone had given Ray a leftover gift card from there (that still had quite a bit left on it), it fit the budget perfectly. So on Sunday afternoon, after Ally opened her gifts, we headed out on this birthday adventure!
Thank you to all of our far-off family, who sent gifts.
Ally had pretty much this expression upon everything she opened!
And you've gotta love those musical cards!
Now off to Amazing Jakes...
After 3 hours of fun, we cashed in our tickets so the girls could choose prizes.
Then we enjoyed a huge dinner at the plentiful buffet. And of course, we ended our fun-filled birthday adventure with cake. Ally counted the candles to make sure their were 7!
Happy 7th Birthday, Ally, to sweet, wonderful you!!
Thank you to all of our far-off family, who sent gifts.
Ally had pretty much this expression upon everything she opened!
And you've gotta love those musical cards!
Now off to Amazing Jakes...
After 3 hours of fun, we cashed in our tickets so the girls could choose prizes.
Then we enjoyed a huge dinner at the plentiful buffet. And of course, we ended our fun-filled birthday adventure with cake. Ally counted the candles to make sure their were 7!
Happy 7th Birthday, Ally, to sweet, wonderful you!!
Letting go...
Ally has a school friend whose birthday fell very close to hers. So her birthday weekend included a party to attend for her friend. This wasn't just any party, though. It was a fancy, dress-up, SLEEPOVER party! I actually panicked a little when we got the invitation, and I wasn't sure I would let her stay overnight. I know she was about to turn 7, but she had never been to a sleepover before, much less to a GROUP sleepover! And she is my BABY - what if she needed me?!?!?
But with a little coaching from my mom, I loosened my over-protective, sometimes vice-like grip on my sweet oldest and let her attend. She was so excited, and I will admit it was fun to get her all dressed up for the party. When we showed up there were a bunch of little girls running around in dress-up clothes having a blast, and the b-day girl's mom seemed to have everything under control and lots of fun things planned.
Still...I couldn't stop the lump in my throat or the streaming tears as I drove away after dropping her off. So I did what every mature, responsible mom would do in this situation - I called MY mom for comfort!
When I picked Ally up the next morning she was glowing with excitement, and both parents exclaimed several times that she had been such a polite, sweet little guest. And this might sound crazy, but as I watched her gather her things, she actually seemed a little older to me. I guess Ally and I both did some growing up...overnight!
But with a little coaching from my mom, I loosened my over-protective, sometimes vice-like grip on my sweet oldest and let her attend. She was so excited, and I will admit it was fun to get her all dressed up for the party. When we showed up there were a bunch of little girls running around in dress-up clothes having a blast, and the b-day girl's mom seemed to have everything under control and lots of fun things planned.
Still...I couldn't stop the lump in my throat or the streaming tears as I drove away after dropping her off. So I did what every mature, responsible mom would do in this situation - I called MY mom for comfort!
When I picked Ally up the next morning she was glowing with excitement, and both parents exclaimed several times that she had been such a polite, sweet little guest. And this might sound crazy, but as I watched her gather her things, she actually seemed a little older to me. I guess Ally and I both did some growing up...overnight!
Cupcakes for Ally
Ally's birthday was on March 29th, which fell on a Sunday this year. Since we weren't going to do a big party this year (we decided to give her a room make-over instead, I'll post more on that later), I decided that she should at least kick off her b-day weekend that Friday by celebrating with her friends at school over cupcakes. Sophie was a very good helper, and was so excited to present our creations to her sister!
Of course, Ally and her friends proved to be very happy recipients of our birthday offering!
Of course, Ally and her friends proved to be very happy recipients of our birthday offering!
Monday, May 18, 2009
A Great Guy...
Ok, I know it has been a long time since I've given any updates on the girls. Or on anything, actually. That first trimester sort of knocked me back a bit! But our spring has been full of fun moments, and I still plan to share them whenever I can, along with some of our more "current" events!
First I wanted to mention a very momentous occasion: in March Ray and I celebrated our 12th anniversary! It is crazy to think of how we got married, blinked, and now here we are today!! We would never have guessed at the altar that we would be living out our thirty-something years in the southwest with two of the sweetest daughters on the planet and a baby on the way. God has brought us down some pretty wild paths to where we are now. And through it all I have learned that I definitely married a keeper! Here are some of my favorite things about my handsome husband...
1. He is a great listener, even after a long day.
2. He loves to surprise me...but also knows when it's best to let me know ahead of time.
3. His big, beautiful, soft brown eyes.
4. He could open a restaurant with his mouth-watering pancakes!
5. He is the most resourceful person I have ever known - he could seriously give Macgyver a run for his money!
6. He remains calm in panic situations.
7. He is not afraid to try new things, and inspires me to do the same.
8. He takes the trash out every Thursday.
9. He makes the girls and me belly-laugh almost every day.
10. He is very wise, and I can talk to him about anything.
Can't wait to see what the next 12 years will bring!
First I wanted to mention a very momentous occasion: in March Ray and I celebrated our 12th anniversary! It is crazy to think of how we got married, blinked, and now here we are today!! We would never have guessed at the altar that we would be living out our thirty-something years in the southwest with two of the sweetest daughters on the planet and a baby on the way. God has brought us down some pretty wild paths to where we are now. And through it all I have learned that I definitely married a keeper! Here are some of my favorite things about my handsome husband...
1. He is a great listener, even after a long day.
2. He loves to surprise me...but also knows when it's best to let me know ahead of time.
3. His big, beautiful, soft brown eyes.
4. He could open a restaurant with his mouth-watering pancakes!
5. He is the most resourceful person I have ever known - he could seriously give Macgyver a run for his money!
6. He remains calm in panic situations.
7. He is not afraid to try new things, and inspires me to do the same.
8. He takes the trash out every Thursday.
9. He makes the girls and me belly-laugh almost every day.
10. He is very wise, and I can talk to him about anything.
Can't wait to see what the next 12 years will bring!
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