Clean Up Time

Almost every night (that I remember) before bed time, I ask the kids to help clean up. K is amazingly wonderful at doing it while I'm putting his sister to bed when I forget to ask them. Tonight, I told them it was time to clean and as I sat in L's bedroom helping her clean her room, K cleaned the living room. After the living room was spotless, K asked me to wet a washcloth and wring it out so he could wipe down the walls. I agreed. A few minutes later as I turned a corner I smelled something delightfully refreshing. K was directing his sister to spray dirt spots on the wall. She sprayed and he wiped. After they finished the walls, they did the doors, then the floors, and as I type they are doing the double glass doors. I don't have the heart to tell them it's not glass cleaner because they're working so hard. They just switched roles. L is now wiping down and K is spraying. T is just following them around not really sure what's going on. I guess teaching responsibilites can't start too young. It won't be too much longer before I'm out of a "job".

Lost Tooth

K woke me up one day last week to tell me that his brother was awake and that he had a loose tooth. A few days later, it had become looser, but I decided it was time for it to come out. So, we attached a string of dental floss to the tooth and attached the other end to a door. When I closed the door, the string came off and the tooth was still in K's mouth. I tried again and before I could finish knotting it, T closed the door, but again the string came off and the tooth didn't. I decided to take more extreme measures so I double knotted the string to the tooth. As soon as the knot was tightened and before I could turn, T slammed the door and K started screaming. As I looked at K I saw a mouth full of blood. T had been successful in pulling his big brother's loose tooth.

That night he put it in his "Tooth Pillow" that he got this past Christmas and when he woke up the "tooth fairy" had forgotten to pick it up. He was a little disappointed, but when he went in his room hours later and found 4 quarters in his pillow in place of his tooth, he exclaimed, "Look, Mommy! God turned my tooth into 4 quarters! That was so nice of Him." I asked him why he thought God had done it and he said it couldn't have been the Tooth Fairy because he hadn't seen anyone go in or come out of his room.... it HAD to have been God! Love the mind and faith of a child.

Back to School

I know it's been a while, but honestly, with business taking off like it has and trying to get school started, it's been a crazy time. In July, I had planned on starting school and taking a week off for a business trip to Ohio, but ended up taking almost the entire summer off. After I got back from my trip, my grandfather passed away and we spent a couple of days in Waco, TX for the funeral. Things are finally starting to settle and get on a schedule. I'm not sure how long it'll last, but hopefully at least a few weeks.

Even though we didn't start school as I had planned, we're ahead of schedule. We just did our 10th day and K is on his 4th week of Astronomy and History, his 22nd week of Math (so we're taking a short break) and his 6th week of English. Mars (full of craters)

Volcano Replica from Venus

L has actually become interested and has started to ask to write. This week, we are focusing on her A's and she's doing great!

Back to School

K started school this week. I know it seems early, but we're only doing 3 days a week until August. I find that the long breaks off don't do well with us. Not only does K really dread doing anything, but it's hard for me to get back into a routine.

K has almost completed his 1st grade math last month. We only have a few weeks left in it and although I know we don't have to finish every book that we start, I feel that finishing his math book will help him have a better understanding to go to the next level.

Here are a few things we did today that complemented the things we did earlier in the week. The nice thing about the projects are that his brother and sister can do them with us.

For History, we did a little excavating. We just so "happened" to find a toothbrush and a can.

For science, we made the planets. He wanted to hang them in his sister's room in case he wanted to look at them while his brother slept.

They really enjoyed this project. He also started an Astronomy notebook. I'm looking forward to seeing his work progress throughout the year. We are using Apologia for his science. I really like the way it's laid out. We read two days a week and do projects and notebooking one day. So, even when we start doing 5 days a week, we will continue to do science and history 3 days a week.

Baby Boy Outfit

There are so many babies being born right now in my small circle of friends. It's such a wonderful time. I made a onesie dress for the little girl that was born yesterday. Last night, I made an outfit for a new brother that was born on the 5th. I absolutely adore this outfit and have decided to make T and maybe K one. I might even make L something that matches. I LOVE the stripes on it. This outfit was pretty simple and although it took me a couple of hours, now that I've made one pair of pants, I think I can do another pair pretty quickly. These pants are tapered at the leg ONLY because I messed up. Because they are so small, they were hard to hem the pant leg. Lesson learned!

Onesie Dress

A friend of mine might be having her baby girl tomorrow so instead of doing the traditional meal that I tend to do, I decided to make her something instead. When I make another one, I will probably gather it more so it flares more. This one is a little too straight for me. I also like the idea of having ruffles on the backside of it in a contrasting color. I think that would be cute, but I haven't researched how to do that yet. :-)
My friend had her baby yesterday. She's gorgeous!!! I will still probably provide a meal, but first I need to buy little gifts for the two brothers.

Twirly Skirt

I've been itching to make my daughter a "twirly" skirt AND using some extremely bold and bright fabric that I have. After doing some research, I finally found one that I liked. Although I didn't follow the instructions to the tee, this is what I have. It has an elastic waistband and I hemmed the skirt. I'm super excited that she already had the perfect shirt to go with it. Thanks Ms. Alex! It defnitely twirls!!!!

I REALLY like the way it turned out, but if I do another one, I'll probably use more fabrics. I only used 5 different fabrics, but would have preferred 7 or 8. Now, it's time to make the boys something... Stay Tuned!

Repurposed Shirt

I've been in the mood to sew lately and I absolutely LOVED this button down shirt that I NEVER wore, so I decided to make something for my daughter out of it instead of just give it away.
If I make another one I will make the top bigger so there is an actual need for elastic. Originally, when my daughter wore it, she had the buttons on the front, but as the day progressed, the dress got lower, so I decided to turn it around and let the back be the front by adding a flower to it.

Peace Like a River

"If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea." Isaiah 48:18


Before I was born, my parents spent a lot of time in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. From the time I was 6 weeks old, maybe younger, my parents started taking me to their favorite destination with my siblings and some of my parent's friends. Most of what I remember from my youth are memories from those weekends and summers. We, as a group, would hike MILES to a waterfall or to the top of a mountain, collect blueberries, tube down the river and walk back singing songs and getting lost in the time. At night we always played cards or dominoes and since we always camped directly near the water, there was always a wonderful sound of serenity flowing not too far away.

When God talks about having peace like a river in Isaiah, I can relate. When I read those words recently all the memories from my youth came flooded my mind. Initially, thinking of a river is very relaxing as you think about the water cascading downstream. I can't recall how many times I fell asleep listening to the music God created. I don't know how often since my youth I have wanted to escape to the mountains just to hear the rushing of the rivers again. A river is very calming and serene, yet underneath the beauty and serenity of the white caps lies a bed of rocks. The bigger the white caps and the louder the music, the bigger the rocks usually are.

Following God's wisdom is VERY much like a river. When we just pay attention and listen to His command the outcome is very serene and appealing to not only us, but everyone around us. It's when we actually obey his commands and have that peace that people notice our peace because we not only fill it inwardly, but we express it outwardly as well. What most people usually only see are the calming effects and the beauty of God's work. What they don't see is the work it took to get that peace. The battle within that happened before we obeyed God. The struggle we went through while we waited to make sure it was really His command and not something we just did or didn't want to do. They don't see the rocks beneath the white caps. It's not until they step into the river that they feel the rocks, pain, and discomfort that are underneath the tranquil peaceful river.

Almost always, peace like a river comes with a little discomfort and sometimes pain of growth. While I might feel peace in one particular are right now, there was a time when God told me to do something and I hesitated because I didn't know if it was His plan or mine. When I finally obeyed and did as I was told, I was flooded with peace knowing His plan was being done. It was very uncomfortable for me to step out of doing something I completely enjoyed and loved. That discomfort and slight nervousness was replaced with deeper cravings for the Word, more time with Him and my family, a better understanding, deeper friendships, opened eyes to something I had not noticed before, a stronger trust, and an even bigger smile than before. Peace.

"IF ONLY" It's so simple. If only my son would have listened to me and not yelled at me he would have been able to stay up later. If only my daughter wouldn't have done something she shouldn't have she wouldn't have got in trouble. If only I could keep things as simple as God intends them to be then I wouldn't have the constant struggle for peace. As my relationship deepens and I get in His Word more, it becomes easier to recognize His calling and prompting and the "If onlys" start to disappear from my hourly, daily, weekly walk and peace like a river becomes more abundant.

"If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea." Isaiah 48:18

Dress A Girl

Our local MOPS group gathered today to host a sewing party to make pillowcase dresses for Dress A Girl. In the fall when the group goes to El Savador, they will give the dresses to the girls in need. I wasn't able to attend because I had a Cloth Diaper Showing at my house scheduled, but here's a picture of the dress I made.

Journaling

It's a concept I heard about. Something someone suggested once. It's even something I suggested to someone else once, yet it's not something I have done since the 5th grade. You know, when you write about your secret crush or how you want to get involved with a certain activity but you're afraid you'll fail. Yeah... a diary. Well, for adults, it's called journaling. *ahem
I started journaling this week and I'm really looking forward to staying on track with this. Sometimes it's easier to get to than the computer.
Although I blog very openly about what God is doing in my life, there are some things I prefer to wait and share until they've come to pass.
God had done great things and continues to do great visible things in my life right now and this year and I'm REALLY excited to see plans that were put into motion 3 years ago starting to be fullfilled. His plans, not mine.
I'm looking forward to being able to look back on the things I may have forgotten and see exactly what God did and the journey He took me on. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you as an entity and not just bits and pieces that might not make sense at the moment. I'm looking forward to sharing some of my testimonies.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Let's Dance

My children have learned what buttons to push on their brother and/or sister. Although we do not encourage it, sometimes it's cute to watch them "harass" one another or try to get the other one in trouble. One of them will do something to make the other one upset not realizing that we saw everything and then we wait to see if they will tell us the truth. K has often asked me, "How do you know that?" Don't they know we see (almost) everything. :-)
Well, today they wouldn't stop bothering one another so M told them to hold hands. When I walked into the living room, this is what I saw...

they were dancing.

I couldn't help but smile, but since they were in trouble M made them sit on the couch b/c they were having too much fun. Apparently they learned how to dance at their Granny Nee's while we were on vacation. K did a great job of twirling his sister around and she enjoyed being twirled.

Egypt

Today, for our History lesson, we studied a little about the Egyptians. After visiting the Natural History of Museum on our recent vacation to NYC, I was able to really see the beauty of Egyptian art and the richness of the colors they used, which made me appreciate K's art even more.

Here's what we did today....

First, we mummified K and his favorite toy pet, a bird from McDonald's.

Then, K mummified a few of his other pets...

For art, we created a beautiful blue hippo and a pyramid.

All in all, it was a good day. We learned a lot about the Eyptians and had a little fun too. There's nothing like hands on learning.

I Like Sleep!

I really enjoy my sleep. I enjoy it so much that my 5 year old and 2 year old don't usually wake me up until they get really hungry. I keep the bottom of the refrigerator stocked with fruit so when they wake up, they can get something to hold themselves over until they REALLY need me. By doing that, I've been able to sleep in an extra hour on most days. When my husband's alarm clock goes off at 4:30 in the morning or when he gets home at 6:30 after working a night shift, I either don't wake up at all or I wake up just enough to kiss him goodbye or good morning and then go right back to sleep.

Much to my surprise this morning, I woke up before my husband's alarm went off. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. I tried. I REALLY tried. Instead, I tossed and turned. Shortly after he left, I crawled out of bed. My alarm wasn't supposed to go off for another hour. *sigh* I could no longer resist the nudge God was giving me to do my study before my day started.

I got ready. The kids were asleep. The house was still dark. It was a perfect time for me to do my Bible Study. A perfect quiet time with the Lord.

I opened my Bible and my lesson was from Isaiah 50:1-11.

Isaiah 50:4b "He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught." If I wouldn't have finally listened to the nudging, I would have missed a very important message.

Thank you for allowing me to be Your servant and waking me up this morning.

I have a feeling I will be waking up early more often.

One Question

About 4 years ago, an acquaintance from my church invited me to attend BSF. I agreed and went. BSF in an international Bible Study Fellowship that doesn't focus on religion or denomination but on His Word. We are asked not to look at any commentaries or mention the church we attend so that we can be completely open minded to hearing what is being read and studied.
I was really surprised at how many people I knew that had been attending for years and yet I didn't even know about it. It almost felt like a special club. An exclusive club that you had to be "invited" to be a part of. Although you do have to be invited to be a part of it because that's how it's only advertised through word of mouth, what makes it so "special" is the collective group of individuals. You don't have to be in the Country Club. You don't have to have so much money in your account(s). You don't have to be related to someone in particular. You just have to WANT to know His Word better. That's exactly why my friend invited me. We were in the same Sunday School class. She told me I seemed as though I was truly hungry for His Word. I was. I still am.

I started at the end of a year and was able to sign up for the following year. I had NO idea how much my life or anyone else's in my group would be impacted that year or the years to follow. I had a wonderful BSF discussion group leader that I still adore, admire, and pray for to this day. I made small connections with some of the ladies in that group that have extended to MOPS or to life in general. Although some of the ladies in the group had a definite outside connection, I continued to seek a connection with Him. (Galations 1:10)

The study that year was on Matthew. I really enjoyed getting to know the ladies and now watching our kids age together. My group leader would call every week and ask me if I had anything I would like to put on the prayer list. I felt a wonderful connection with her, as most do, and shared a lot with her. One time I asked her if there was anything I could pray for her about. It was a question that made sense. It was a question that deepened our relationship and allowed us to talk about things we may not have discussed before.

Today, almost 4 years later, as my former discussion group spoke to our group as a substitute, she spoke truths from her life. One thing she mentioned was a young girl in one of her groups a few years ago that once asked her if she could pray for her. It meant enough to her that she mentioned it in her lecture.

On my way home from lecture, I got a text informing me that I had been the only person in 10 discussion groups (10 years) that had ever asked her if I could pray for her. The text made me cry. It took me a while to figure out why. I know she is VERY loved, so I know people didn't ask because they didn't care. I know they not only care, but love they her very much. I cried because of God's love. I get a little overwhelmed sometimes in seeing Him work through me because I don't always feel worthy.

As Christ followers, we are called to encourage and lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ. By asking her one question that she had asked others hundreds of times, I was able to encourage a leader that means SO much to me. I had NO idea how much that one question would mean to someone that has had such a profound impact on my life. I can't help but wonder how many times God has used me in ways I never even knew. You see, any encouragement that I give may come from my lips, but is guided by Him.

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus..." Romans 15:5

How has God used you for His purpose? How is He using you? How has He used someone else in your life to show you His love?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."" Jeremiah 29:11

"90 Minutes in Heaven"

Before I left for Disney last week, I bought the book "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. I had been wanting to read it for a couple of years but I finally realized my friend wasn't going to remember to loan me her copy so I bought my own. I read half of it on the way to Disney. Although I enjoy making new friends, I'm glad I had quiet people next to me because I really didn't want to put the book down. It was intriguing and gave me goose bumps.

On the way home, I was exhausted and had a great seat-mate (on the 2nd part of the trip) so I didn't get to finish the book like I had anticipated. Instead I spent the next 1.5 talking about God and family. It was great!

After 2 more short sittings at home, I finally finished it. "90 Minutes in Heaven", is a true story of death and life. It's a personal story about someone spending 90 minutes in heaven while his earthly body laid lifeless from a car accident while the cops waited for the ambulance to arrive to take him to the morgue. God had other plans.

As I finished the book, a wave of memories came back from when I was about 8 years old. Although I don't have a story like Don's, I can honestly say I'm not afraid of death because I know how calm and peaceful it is.

One summer, as I swam toward my older neighbor in a public water park's wave pool, I got tired. I remember reaching out to her and her saying, "I can't". I looked in her eyes and took one last breath. The next thing I knew, I was laying on my back with a lifeguard staring down at me. I know he was blond and lightly tan. I don't remember anything else. I don't remember what happened next or who all was there. I do remember the brightness of everything in between the time I took my last breath to when I took my next breath. I don't know that I ever really shared the in between or talked about it much after. I do remember telling friends that drowning isn't such a bad way to die because there isn't much struggle and there is no pain. I stopped telling people when they looked at me like I was crazy. I was blessed that the lifeguard was paying attention that day and rescued me. After reading Don's book, the memories from those particular moments in my life have been renewed and refreshed as though they just happened yesterday. I know God has a purpose for me and I pray everyday that I fulfill it and follow the path He lays in front of me.

I finished!!!

I did it! That's what the front of the shirt says and it's true. The Disney Princess Half Marathon can officially be crossed off my bucket list (although it never actually got on it because I don't know what happened to it).



Seven friends took this journey together this past weekend. We all survived and crossed the finish line. It was SO worth it! I had a blast getting to know the ladies and run on the heels of several Snow Whites, Pocahantes, Jasmines (even the guy dressed as Jasmine), Sleeping Beauty (there was a male one of these too), the frog from Princess and the Frog, and a couple of Captain Amercias.



Upon our arrival (which was 2 hours late) Friday evening after dropping our luggage off at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort, we headed to Epcot. We had fun riding a couple of rides and famliarizing ourselves with the transportation system. This is where I should say that I am SO glad I figured it out without the kids because it was a little confusing.



Saturday, we spent the day in Universal Studios and the finished the short evening at Downtown Disney in hopes of getting to bed early for our 3 a.m. departure the next morning for our race. We were all tired and restless. So much, that when I heard the crying baby outside our room a few minutes after I had falled asleep, I jumped out of bed, waking the girl I shared the bed with, only to quickly realize it was NOT my little man. He had stayed home with my mom and grandmother. LOL!



Needless to say, 3 a.m. came REALLY early and very quickly! Despite only have about 5 hours of sleep, we were all in our designated corral at 5 a.m. with the other 13,000+ runners.

The first corral was released at 5:45 and then the remaining were released in 15 min increments. Just like the first corral was released to fireworks, our was too at 6:30ish. Along the route, there were pirates, princes, princesses, pirate ships, and wonderfully lit mile markers. The best mile marker was the 1/2 way mark through the Magic Kingdom 's Castle. It was my first time through it and it was beautiful!

A friend of mine and I ran together almost the entire way. After sprinting the last 3/4 mile, I finished in 2,445th place with a time of 2:16.

Sewing Table

I finally got a sewing table. It was a Valentine gift delivered on Valentine's day. M did a good job picking it out. I assembled it yesterday and organized it today. I'm looking forward to using it soon. I still need to finish the outfit I started at my mom's when we were there for our Snow Day.

Now I just need a spool rack above it and a cabinet for keeping extra fabric next to it.

Snow Day

Last week, my mom informed me that they were supposed to get snow. My kids LOVE their Granny Nee and I haven't seen snow in a couple of years, so we took a road trip. It was supposed to snow on Wednesday, so we left on Tuesday. 6 hours later, the kids and I arrived at my moms. When she got home we all took a little trip to Wal-Mart so I could buy some fabric and a dress pattern so I would have something to "do" while we were snowed it. The snow started about 7 am and lasted until about noon. It snowed pretty heavily, but it wasn't wet enough to make a snowman. The 15 minutes that the kids played in the snow with their Granny Nee was worth it.

K didn't want to wait for Granny Nee to get her gloves on.... ...so she got him good when she finally did!When he couldn't get her fast enough, he tried to throw a cup of snow on her but he quickly realized it took too long to fill it up.

snow on her gloves

Warming Up

Today was a great outside day! Last night before going to bed, my oldest son got in trouble. For him that meant no gaming or computer today. He really doesn't do much of either, but just the fact that he can't play it is enough for him to behave better so he doesn't get punished from it again. You would think it wouldn't matter since he doesn't do either much, but I think it's a control thing. That and the fact that I got a new game for Valentine's day and he's REALLY good at it. He likes being good at things; who doesn't.

Fortunately for us, the weather was really nice so we spent most of the day outside. After we finished school, K played on the water slide while I played in the dirt. I finally got to work in my flower bed and pulled ALL the weeds and transplanted some tulips and other grasses. Now, I just need to buy more flowers for it so I can actually call it what it is... a flowerbed.

It was an eventful and productive day. At one point, I thought my daughter broke her foot. As I was digging weeds, I looked over to find her hold ... let me rephrase that... dropping a rather large concreted rock stepping stone on the top of her foot. She cried. I got to hold her. It bruised. She was playing 15 minutes later.
After she calmed down a bit and I was able to wipe her tears, K decided to play on the trampoline with water. He quickly realized the water wasn't going to warm up so he changed into dry clothes. That didn't last long.

At some point during my weed pulling, I discovered, and then killed, the first snake of the year. Although it wasn't as big as some of the ones I've seen around here, it wasn't a newborn either. I'm just glad it didn't grab onto my finger when I pulled it's bed out of the ground.

When L's speech therapist arrived at the house, I was working on our vegetable garden. All I did was till the ground, but it's one step closer to being ready for vegetables. When she left, I tilled some more while the 3 kids played on the trampoline. T LOVES being lightly bounced by his big brother. Who am I kidding! The boy LOVES his big brother. I'm amazed at how much he already follows K around and gets REALLY upset when he leaves the room. It's kind of cute.

Oh yeah! I even started painting a garden stake that was at the house when we moved here 3 years ago. I was going to paint the foyer, but my husband informed me that HE wanted to do that. One less thing on my list of to-dos.
I'm hoping tomorrow is less eventful and just as or even more productive.

School Day

What K is learning/doing for "school".

After he read the story above, we played sight word Bingo. He beat me a couple of times. He likes to win.
After reading, we did a little bit of math. I was beginning to think he didn't know how to draw a straight line, but he finally did on the last problem. LOL

After reading and math, we ran errands and I purchased some tangrams. When we got home, they immediately openend them and starting making things. It was really fun to watch. I'm looking forward to using them a lot in the future.

New Year's Resolution

I tried really hard and was doing good for a while, but have seemed to fallen back into my old habits. I can't seem to update my blog as often as I had originally hope. I noticed that it's been 10 days since my last post. Sorry!

I have several things to blog about, but tonight I'm going to tell you one of my New Year's Resolution.

As you can see on the right side of my blog, I am a member of Facebook. Although I try not to spend too much time on it, I find myself doing most of my Thirty-One business through FB, so I catch myself on it more than I would like. So, I decided to make it a part of my NYR.
When the new year started, I had a little over 650 "friends", all of which I personally know or have met (except for one blog follower). In realizing that I don't get to see or talk to every person on my "friend's list" very much, I decided that I would pay each and every person one sincere true to them heartfelt compliment. At the time I started I decided to give one compliment a day to two different people. So far, it's going well. Although I've missed a day or two, I've always gone back and caught up.
It's been great reading some of their responses. I don't know how or why I choose the people I compliment, but I do look through my list every single time before making the choice. What I've realized is that more times than not, God knew who needed it and He directed my choice. There have been several times that those that I have complimented said they needed it that day or it turned their day around. God knew.
Aside from those reading this now, there are only a couple of people that know about it because they asked. I didn't feel it was necessary to share it with everyone and I know there aren't many that read this, so I feel safe knowing it won't really get around. :-)
My "friend's list" has grown to almost 700 people and things are starting to get interesting and a little challenging because I will ONLY give honest compliments and I haven't seen some of these "friends" in over 15 years. Oh, the joy of the memory. *cough*cough*
Since doing this for 34 days, I can honestly say, it's one of the things I look forward to doing every night after the kids go to bed. The Bible says we should encourage one another. I decided to take advantage of something we have and do what I am commanded.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Not Another Bath

My daughter has been potty-trained for over a year now. She still has occasional accidents when she finds herself caught in the moment of play and doesn't want to stop what's she doing for a potty break. When that does happen, she gets in trouble and is no longer allowed to continue what she was doing for a while. Well... the other day, everyone took early baths in hopes that bedtime would happen a little quicker and not be so rushed. L took her bath first, got dressed and played around a little bit. When she realized K was about to take his bath, as soon as she heard the water running, she started stripping down in preparation for another bath. Needless to say, she was a little disappointed when I told her that she wasn't taking a bath because she had already had one. I guess she didn't like that because after she started walking away, she turned to me and said, "I pee pee in my panties". Yep! She pee peed in her panties so she could get a bath because she thought I wouldn't know what she had down. Call me a bad mom if you will, I don't care. She went to bed smelling like urine that night.
She'll be 3 in April.

Yes, She Did!

Yes, it's true! My daughter sported a purple long sleeve shirt, a matching hair bow, purple crocs, socks and a pull-up around church Wednesday night. She's been potty trained for over a year and she decided to have an accident the one night I didn't have her bag of clothes with us. It was great! I made her wear her jacket around her waist. She could have cared less.

Grandfather's 93rd B-Day

This past weekend was SO exhausting. We drove to Waco for my grandfather's 93rd birthday. Overall, it was fun. I met some more cousins and became reacquainted with ones I hadn't seen since I was a kid. Afterward, we drove 2 hours to Austin, where we stayed the night with my brother. The kids adore my brother's family and had a blast. K especially liked his cousin's boyfriend because he let him beat him up.

My grandfather and some of his grandkids and great-grandkids.

My grandfather and some of his children. I think two of them were grandkids.
My parents. My brother and his family with my mom, dad, and my grandmother

(my mom's mom).

notice my daughter is gone... (see picture below) L eating with her cousin. She couldn't understand anything he said because he's from Scotland, but she liked him.
We were able to finally put her food down and take a picture.

Brother and his kids, my dad, my mom, grandma, and me with my kids

Finally! A picture with my parents and my kids

My niece and her boyfriend... they're so cute!Pillow Fight!!!(Pretend) Sword Fighting Until next time!!!

Pappy and his baby girl