Good-bye to 2009

As I reflect on 2009, I know one thing is certain. I will not miss this round of illnesses. Currently, Hannah, Zach, Rebecca and I have pink eye with Becca and I having it in both eyes. Hannah has about 100 degree fever, has been laying down all day and hardly eaten anything and just threw up all over her bed, narrowly missing the new Leapster she received only hours ago. She also complained of a sore throat and nausea this morning though that seems to have subsided. Every joint in my body aches and I am currently having double vision - this morning I felt like I was about 80. Rebecca is teething which includes two molars. And, of course, all four of us have stuffy and/or runny noses. Only Chad has been spared from any illnesses. Thank you Lord!

So even though I am looking forward to a fresh start with 2010, I cannot forget the fun and joyous moments of 2009. We had a mostly enjoyable trip to Destin in July. Chad and I got two whole nights without children in November. We have also been serving with Awana this fall and it has completely changed our lives.

Rebecca learned to crawl, stand, eat baby and table food, drink from an open cup and sippy cup, suck through a straw, walk, speed walk, and climb; plus she got 11 teeth, learned to say a variety of words and got a plethora of illnesses including several skin conditions (that part is not so fun).

Zachary learned to talk and communicate, was finally potty trained, and the inner boy is making its prominent appearance (and sometimes smell).

Hannah continues to amaze us with her ability to quickly learn how to use any electronic device she encounters and is blossoming into a beautiful little girl.

Chad had an amazing year as chair of the Pastor Search Committee and Personnel Committee. He also testified against evolution before the Texas State Board of Education and registered for Biology which begins in January as he follows where God is leading him with his passion for microbiology. He continues to work on the side for Quasar writing code for cool things for the military and such. He had an awesome time on the church mission trip in July. And he is always pondering new and exciting topics for discipleship classes.

I just continue to work where God sends me (though my obedience is sometimes slow). I love the Mommy & Me play group, I relish my involvement with all the preschool workers at church, I have a passion for Vacation Bible School and all the other awesome children's ministry events, I totally dig writing newsletters, and now I get to experience the joy of leading preschool choir.

Where will 2010 take our family? Only God knows. And I am so excited about that!!

Christmas is officially over

I need to catch up on the totally awesome Christmas week that we had, but I had to take a moment to lament today because Christmas is officially over in the Smith household. We woke up today to two - count them, two! - children with pink eye. So off to the doctor we went, picking up eye drops on the way back home. At least we got back before the yucky weather set in.

And I am so very thankful that my husband came along to help. Of course, that was after I gave him the very sad puppy-dog look and asked if he could take off for a few hours. What a sweet hubby I have. :)

Good-bye Infant, Hello Toddler

My infant is officially outta here. Rebecca is walking (and climbing) all over the place. She still crawls when she gets tired and when it appears convenient, but walking is definitely the preference now. It is so adorable to see her walking with Hannah & Zach as they cheer her on. They are really digging the new scenario.

Only Mommy is left dabbing the corner of her eye as she realizes that the baby phase is truly gone. We moved the toddler bed into the corner of Rebecca's room yesterday. I stared dumbfounded at it last night as I realized that she would graduate to that bed next year. Does time speed up as you age, because I could swear that it does! I'm just trying to savor the last months I have all three of my babies with me at home. These are some sweet sweet memories we are making and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Walking and Teething

I glanced back at my posts and realized I have not said much about Rebecca lately. Can you believe she is pushing 14 months? She is growing so quickly and 12 months-sized clothing is rapidly being passed on. She has also started walking a lot more this week. She'll let go and walk several feet. If she has a stable object close at hand, she'll cruise for a long time. She's really digging the freedom it is affording her. I am excited about this stage, but also sad that my baby girl really is becoming a toddler now.

She was a little cranky this week (highly unusual for my mild-mannered Rebecca) and I discovered that she had two top molars coming in. The next day, I discovered there was also a bottom tooth pushing through. Three teeth all at once. No wonder she's been grumpy! Other than that, she is our happy easy going child who loves her brother and sister and really doesn't like "big hugs" from Hannah! She definitely my daughter - knows how to speak her mind. :)

It's the most wonderful time of the year . . .

If you know me, then you know that Christmas is my most favorite time of year. I have about 10 boxes of decorations plus two trees and lots of garland. We decorated the house right after getting back from Mississippi.

The kids enjoyed my first touch of Christmas immensely. I put my new lighted garland up and they brought all their friends down to the steps so they could share the enjoyable view.



Later, we put the tree up and started decorating. This was the first year that the kids got to do a lot of the decorating (though I did have to move several ornaments up to higher branches).



They had so much fun getting to pick spots on the tree. They especially enjoyed putting up ornaments that had their names on them.



And what would a Christmas tree be like without a cat immediately taking a nap under it?



My newest purchase for the tree is a new star for the top. It has 19 bulbs and really lights the room up!

Here it is up close. It's our very own North Star!

Only 17 days until Christmas!!

Fun at Awana

The kids had an amazingly awesome time at Cubbies tonight. It was store night and they came home with oodles of treasures. Hannah has a new pom pom, trinkets, stickers, sunglasses, princess ball, and tub toys. Zach has a new dinosaur, trinkets, stickers, sunglasses, Mickey ball, and tub toys. But the greatest treasure was Zach's new matchbox sized Hummer. He kept giving it big hugs and showing it to me and Daddy. His sister found it for him and now it's his new favorite item.

Chad and I are also having a blast with the Sparks (kindergarten through 2nd grade). I stepped out in faith and led the story during Council Time tonight. I told the story of Esther. I was a nervous wreck before, but I just said, okay, God, take it away. And He did. :) The kids seemed to enjoy it and I actually kept the attention of 17 kids for most of the time! I am absolutely loving Awana. I sure wish I had known about this program growing up. It is so rewarding as an adult and I know it would have been exciting for me as a child. Now my kids get to enjoy the program too!

Patricia

Earlier in the year, I felt a tremendous weight to sponsor a child through Compassion International. In June, I responded with obedience and decided to select a girl who was about the same age as Hannah. When I saw Patricia's face, I knew she would be my sponsor child. I kept returning to her profile and her sad eyes. She is three months older than Hannah. My hope is that we will be her sponsor family for years to come and that Hannah can eventually communicate with her through letters.

Now all this sounds very grand, but I regret to say that I had not written any letters to her. I have received 3 letters from her, but that was not even enough to spur me on. I even missed the deadline to send her a Christmas package. I have been so busy that I forgot my little girl in Uganda. Tonight I sat down to create a login (hadn't even done that) and I wrote her a brief letter online. Not much, but just enough to tell her a little about our family and that we love and pray for her. The dominant language in Uganda is English, but Patricia lives in a village that speaks a local dialect so it will need to be translated and then read to her. I hope she receives it by Christmas.

After I sent her the letter, I considered how distracted I have been with Christmas preparations. Creating a budget, buying gifts, wrapping them in lovely papers. Meanwhile, my little African girl is an orphan who lives with a "grandmother" and four "siblings" who appear to be cousins or perhaps just other orphans. Her caregiver earns about $5 per month as a laborer. Wow. So as I wiped away my tears, I thanked God for Patricia and her reminder to me that wealth has nothing at all to do with material goods and paychecks. It does, however, have everything to do with your heart.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do
not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also." Matthew 6:19-21

MS Trip (145 photos), by Julie Smith

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Love Hurts

I love my son dearly. He is a wonderful snuggler and so sensitive. But my boy has the hardest head I have ever encountered. Trust me - I delivered it. And every so often, I collide with it. For example, Zach came over to give me a hug this morning. I bent down and he lifted up - fast - at the same time. WHAM! My right eyebrow came in contact with the top of his head.

There are levels of pain. Some creep in slowly. Some slam into you quickly. This was pretty much the latter. I immediately started crying so hard that all three kids came over to console me. Who knew that the bone behind your eyebrow could hurt so bad?

I don't care what anyone says. Sometimes love seriously hurts.

Count Zachary

I let the kids both sleep in Hannah's room last night. It can be risky because it means they keep each other up way longer then normal and are sometimes quite grumpy the next morning. But they were so happy after Awana and had been very obedient, so I gave in to the request.

As usual, I had to go up well after 9:00 and remind them it was time to get in bed and get to sleep. Hannah came jumping out of the closet, but I didn't see Zachary. "Where's Zachary?" I queried.

I looked in the closet filled with a mountain of stuffed animals, then the lid of the toy box slowly creaked open and Zachary sat up with a big grin. It was like a kid version of Dracula. I just laughed and shooed them into bed.

They never cease to surprise me. LOL

Potty Training - Check!

Finally, I only have one set of diapers to change again. Zach is potty trained minus some pipe leakage every now and again. LOL He has done well with nights, but I still put a pull-up on him just in case. He is even pooping on the potty now. Woohoo!!! As a reward, we took him to Toys R Us tonight to pick out a big present (and I even let him wear underwear for the occasion!).

Now when Hannah got to do this, she picked a $50 item. But Zach, being the singled-minded boy that he is, honed in on the more reasonably priced Take Along Thomas trains. Never fear - Daddy was careful to steer him clear of the Christmas list items. He settled on the Breakdown Train, Max & Monty, and Hector. Plus he got some new undies with Thomas and Spider Man. He and Hannah were up until almost 10:00 playing with the new friends. My boy LOVES trains!!

A child's perspective of Sunday School

On our way home from church this morning, I asked the kids how Sunday School was. I asked the usual - what did you learn? who was the story about? etc.

Hannah responded with, "I didn't hit anyone today."

I'm always left wondering the source of comments like that. I guess I'll never know.

Kid Free Weekend

Chad and I finally got the opportunity to celebrate our 6th anniversary this weekend and it was blissfully kid-free! We attended our niece's birthday party Saturday and then parted ways with the kids. Zach got to stay at the McGrath's and enjoy two days of boy-stuff. Hannah, Rebecca, and Keely piled into Grandmommy's van and off they went to Canton.

Meanwhile, Chad and I headed to Frisco and did some shopping. We also took some time at Dave & Buster's to play a ton of games, trade in our modest 800 tickets for Christmas gifts for the kids, and eat dinner. We picked up shakes at Steak & Shake and headed home for about an hour. Then we got to go together to the prayer vigil at church and did some stargazing at the top of a hill on the way home.

On Sunday, we attended church, including the Thanksgiving meal after service where we actually got to have conversations with several people! Then home we went to watch the Cowboys, do some light housecleaning, and relax. We headed to the Majestic around 3:30 for our 5:00 performance of The Nutcracker by the Moscow Ballet company. It was Chad's first ballet and he said he really liked it. I enjoyed it thoroughly, especially since it was a different version from the one I saw about 15 years ago. We parked in an amazingly efficient parking building across the street. Clearance was 6 feet. I seriously got claustrophobic while we were driving in there. Chad couldn't even get on tip-toe because he would hit his head on the ceiling! After the ballet, we headed to PF Changs for dinner. We were dressed up for the ballet, of course, so we got a few looks! LOL

Monday morning dawned and we actually slept in! Heavenly!! We went for a late breakfast at IHOP, shopped at Wal-Mart, then picked up the girls in Allen and traded a niece for a son in Anna.

There is no way I could fully express my gratitude for all the family members who made this awesome weekend possible. If only y'all could have been able to observe the calm, peaceful, joyful woman I was the last two days. Alas, she has been replaced by the furrowed-brow mommy who is glad that bedtime arrived tonight! Time to plan another weekend . . .

M&M and Cousins (72 photos), by Julie Smith

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Potty Training

Potty training sure is different with boys! Hannah made the decision she was going to be toilet trained and just got down to business. Granted, it took three major attempts on my part to finally get there and she was almost 4 before it happened, but when she was ready, that was that. She was fully potty trained, even at night, within a few weeks.

And then there's Zach. First we had to get him to speak coherently. Then we had to understand him. They we had to learn two way conversations. Finally, I got him to pee on the potty sporadically, earn some stickers, and earn some trains in the process. Progress was slow at the beginning. After many weeks, he finally caught on and realized there were regular rewards involved, even if it was just a high-five. Two pages of stickers and about 12 trains later, he upgraded to big boy undies. This is the second full day of undies with only 3 or 4 accidents. He's still in pull-ups at night and at naptime, but we have been so pleased over all. He even goes potty without being prompted sometimes!

My big challenge will be feeling safe to put him in undies when we go out. I don't think I am there yet!

Rebecca is doing great!

Rebecca had her probing procedure on Wednesday morning. She did absolutely wonderful and it is apparent that the procedure was a success. I could tell a huge difference by Wednesday afternoon. Her eye is not gooping up anymore and no more random tears. Chad even commented last night that she seems even happier than usual. Thanks for all the prayers for our little sweetie!

Rebecca's Procedure

Rebecca had an appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist today. She confirmed that Rebecca does have a clogged tear duct and would benefit from a probing procedure. To my surprise, she recommended right away - like tomorrow morning. So we did pre-registration and pre-op right after her eye appointment. Her procedure will be Wednesday at 9:30. It is a very quick procedure (like 30 seconds) and she will only have a general anesthesia. She will have no pain and I'll give her eye drops for 10 days to prevent infection. Please pray that the tear duct opens and heals without any complications.

Rebecca Picture

Here is a good picture of Rebecca from last Friday. I think Pink Puppy is gonna start looking like Piglet one of these days. If you haven'ts seen Hannah's lovey lately, Piglet is missing part of an arm now. LOL And doesn't Rebecca look so adorable in those Baby Legs? Thank you McGrath clan!

New Train

Proud boy earned a new train last night. :)

Mom's Birthday Party (38 photos), by Julie Smith

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M&M Field Trip (56 photos), by Julie Smith

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The Missing Trains

Zachary is doing so well with his potty training lately. It was like something had to just click and he enthusiastically pees whenver his body allows. We have been implementing an incentive program where he earns a sticker for each pee and then a certain number of stickers equals a new Take Along Thomas train. (I didn't actually buy a bunch of new trains - bought a box of gently used trains for $20 off Craigs List. Woohoo!) The boy is doing so well that he gets a new train every two days now! Needless to say, a new incentive program will begin after he completes this sheet.

Now for the really funny part. He requests certain trains on a regular basis, not realizing that his requests won't really make a difference because it is what it is, you know. Tonight, he lined up all his trains. Then he created spaces between some, pointed to the empty spot, looked at me sadly, and named off the ones were missing. "This is Edward," he said longingly of the first empty spot. "This is Cranky." He continued on about the missing Bulstrode, Trevor, Douglas, Skarloey, and so on. I just looked back at him sadly and confirmed that they were, in fact, missing in action. Work it, baby, work it.

Rebecca's Stats

We went to Rebecca's one year appointment last week. She got two shots and Hannah cried more than she did! Eczema is still an issue, so we will all be switching laundry detergent soon to something more gentle and chemical free. Her tear duct is still not cleared up so we have been referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist. Here are the big girl's stats:

Weight: 21.6 pounds (53 %)
Height: 29.5 inches (60 %)
Head cir: 17.75 inches (48 %)

She was officially big enough to turn her car seat around, so she got that plus got to move to the back seat with Hannah. Zach (who is prone to carsickness) moved up to the middle row. All the kids love the new seating arrangement!

Rebecca's Birthday Party (70 photos), by Julie Smith

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Preschool Update

I get questions periodically about how the homeschooling is going. I am actually enjoying it quite a bit these days. We have school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (unless there are special circumstances such as an illness) for about an hour, depending on the art projects we are doing.

Hannah absolutely loves school and asks for it nearly every day. Zach joins us when it looks interesting. :) We are currently on letter L, the color orange (anaranjado), the number 8, and the shape square. We also study the current Cubbies verse, learn Bible stories, work on handwriting, phonics, math, creative activities and have a social studies and science lesson surrounding the Bible story almost each lesson. For example, we are studying the days of creation in Genesis 1. We have been learning about grass for the last week (types of grass, how it keeps soil from eroding, what eats it). Since the kids already know their colors, we always translate those into Spanish. We play outside when we can, sing songs all the time, and Dora and Mickey are never too far away. LOL

By the way, I keep all of the papers and colorings they are doing with school. If any grandparent would like to take some samples, you are more than welcome!

Happy Halloween!

Like the new picture?

The new picture I posted at the top of the page was taken a few days ago on our property, deep in the western woods. (Sounds kinda spooky when I say it that way!) Chad took it after all that rain. It's a seasonal creek. Who would have thought that there was this gorgeous waterfall on our property?

Still here!

What a month this has been! All three of the kids took turns being sick, with Rebecca and Hannah taking it the hardest. Rebecca celebrated her birthday. Has it really been a year? Good thing we had her party the Saturday before her birthday because the sweet little thing was all snotty and yucky on her actual birthdate.

I have been feeling lousy for awhile. As I mentioned previously, I went to the Wellness Institute about my back. They were able to help me some, but I could not justify the travel time (40 minutes one way) or the cost for long-term care. Instead, I will get some blood work done to rule out any other problems, and possibly have physical therapy again. But first I must get past my latest hurdle. Went to the doctor this morning and was diagnosed with bronchitis. I have had this many times before so I really should have recognized the symptoms before today. Guess I was too busy to notice. Based on the descriptions on www.webmd.com, looks like Acute Bronchitis and the cough will last 2-3 weeks. Perhaps I will be all cleared up before Chad and I take an anniversary trip in 3 weeks.

After arguing with my new computer about the camera software, Chad got all the kinks worked out and I am trying to get caught up with all the pictures. I have uploaded Rebecca's birthday party pics to Snapfish and will share after I do some editing. Having trouble with the movies because my camera records them in a format that Snapfish does not support so I'll have to convert them before sharing.

Hope everyone has a fun Halloween. Our church is joining forces with another church in town and we will host a Community Fall Festival in the elementary school parking lot. Hannah is going as Arial (Little Mermaid), Zach is Spider Man and Rebecca is a dalmatian puppy (same costume I made for Zach two years ago!). I am going as a sick and bundled up mommy who will not stay for too long.

I've Got Issues

I got an afternoon off from the kiddos two Saturdays ago and went to the Prosper Arts & Music Festival. I wandered up and down the aisles picking up goodies here and there, admiring arts and crafts, and wishing I had time to get back to my hobbies. I happened upon a booth for The Wellness Institute and paused. A woman asked if I wanted to have a wellness checkup. Since I have been feeling under the weather for many months now, I agreed.

After a brief questionnaire, I determined that my greatest problem is pain in my neck and upper back. It is constant now and pain radiates down my right arm and leg on a regular basis. They scanned my neck with a device and found that my nerves were not responding properly. In fact, the whole right side of my neck has a 60% loss. For $20, I could come in for a consultation and two appointments, receive full x-rays and full use of all their equipment to determine the source of my pain. Six months ago, I would have balked. That day, I whipped my checkbook out and set up my appointment.

I went to the appointment tonight. I was disappointed that it is 45 minutes away in Frisco, but it was well worth the drive. Everyone is so friendly and there are Christian materials and scripture plaques in the main room. I met with a tech at first, answering questions, and having a preliminary test of my upper vertebrae. When we finished, she said "Hmm. I know Dr. Josh can help you." The look on her face told me that I was not such an easy patient. I asked if it was that bad. She said "We've had worse patients." Yikes. Then I met with Dr. Josh. After some more questions, he asked if I could come in for my first appointment tomorrow morning. Yes, folks, apparently I have issues. Neurological issues. Something is up with my spine and messages aren't getting through. (That's not technical terminology, by the way.) I had a full set of x-rays and I will meet with him tomorrow night at 5:00 to go over the x-rays, have my first correction, and start talking about changes I can make at home. Like get more sleep!

So I'll keep you posted on what's going on with my inner workings. We all knew I had issues, now a doctor has confirmed it. LOL

September 2009 (26 photos), by Julie Smith

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Spring Fling

It was a tough night. I'll be honest. I really didn't want to play or even talk with the kids tonight. It was one of my "no one really appreciates me" nights. I have to remind myself that I have three kids under the age of five sometimes. Someday they will say thank you for all the stuff I do for them, right?

So I will admit that after the kids went to bed, I dressed up in the bridesmaid dress from my sissy's wedding, fixed my hair, and added my rhinestone jewelry and even the tiara. Just to feel like a queen for a moment. I may sound like a basket case, but it cheered me up. Okay, I miss my stage days from time to time and the actress in me has to seep out somehow.

So after a slightly weepy conversation with Chad, he said I needed to plan a girl's trip for the spring. It was like the heavens opened up and the sun radiated from me. So I am giddy now and seeking out girlfriends of any age to go on a short cruise or visit an all-inclusive resort in the spring. Did I mention that I am giddy? LOL

Rain and Computers

Wow, we got a ton of rain this week! Water has been running over the spillway for at least a few hours already and the rain is still coming down. I am so thankful we never changed the topography over there or who knows where all that water would have gone!

On a sad note, my computer monitor finally pooped out. I am currently "borrowing" Chad's new amazing monitor to update some stuff this morning. It looks like I will be using a ginormous old friend from the attic until we spy a good deal around the holidays. At least I have a beautiful new desk to set it on!

I Have a New Title

As many of you know, Hannah is a pretty bright child. She likes to figure out how things work and learns very quickly. Wednesday night she learned that electronics do not get a bath.

We were preparing to leave for church and Chad went upstairs to prod the kids on. He came down carrying a wet Leapster. Apparently, Hannah's Leapster was "dirty" and she was "washing" it in the sink when Chad entered the scene. Needless to say, it didn't turn on. Later that night, it still didn't turn on. Yesterday, it still didn't turn on.

As I fumed about a $50 toy that was possibly ruined, I pondered some possibilities of how to get this toy to work again. In my 4 plus years as a mom, I have disassembled a plethora of toys, called Customer Service for assistance, perused the Internet for toy designs, and been the toy companies' worst nightmare. I am the parent they don't want to hear from. I am the one who refuses to just throw out a toy and buy a new one. I do everything possible to get it to work again, including taking a toy down to it's basics. Only after I have exhausted everything will I mournfully send a toy on to its demise.

So I took a deep breath and took the Leapster apart. Water dripped out of it so I thought maybe the connectors on the board were still damp. I left it out for 24 hours to dry. So I am patting myself on the back right now because I actually got the thing reassembled and it works! Can I add Toy Repair Expert to my resume?

It's an Ice Cream Night

I don't really know how it happens. It just sort of builds up. Suddenly I reach my limit with the kids and I find myself eating four scoops of chocolate chip ice cream. You heard me correctly. Four scoops. Plus chocolate syrup. Plus sprinkles. Yeah, it was just one of those nights.

Family Pictures - Finally!

We took these on Monday. Enjoy!

Hannah the Human Maraca

A moment from Hannah's world:

We were sitting at dinner last night and Hannah turned her fork around and starting tapping her head rather vigorously with the end. "I'm a maraca!" she proudly proclaimed. Mommy and Daddy rolled with laughter.

Happy 11 Months!

Happy 11 months Rebecca!

M&M Playday 9\3\09 (21 photos), by Julie Smith

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New Curtains

Thanks to Pop Pop and Nana, our playroom windows are sporting some new fun curtains. I found them at Wal-Mart, of all places, after searching online and on location at over a dozen places. These babies are playful, colorful, and very bold. Perfect for the playroom! They have kind of a circus feeling and just make you smile every time you see them. :)



Hannah really likes them too.



Here they are with a broader view.



I just can't get over the fact that Chad and I got so bold with this room. He and I are usually wallflowers with our color choices. Lots of fall and desert-looking colors. I guess there's hope for us yet!

Rain Rain Go Away

We are approaching the end of a long week around here. It has been raining for days on end and we finally got to see some sunshine this afternoon. The kids got their flu shots on Tuesday. Oh, what fun that was. The nurse went down the line and all three got stuck in the leg. We had plenty of screams to share, but they got over it quickly after learning that they had earned a sucker, sticker, and prize.

Rebecca was a bit fussy and I thought it was the shot plus some light allergies. Wednesday morning dawned and it was obvious she had a cold. Yucky. So I had to miss my second week of Awana as a Sparks leader. Bummer. Today she was really sick and tonight Hannah had a hefty fever and Zach had a low grade fever. More yucky.

So now I am going to miss the Awana conference on Saturday and probably church on Sunday. Don't get me wrong. I'm so thankful this is nothing serious. It's just a disappointment. The highlight of the day, which is helping me cope (wink, wink), is I got to go to Wally World all by my onesie and fill the cart to my heart's desire plus I got to go to Office Depot and purchase my new desk. PLUS Chad ordered my new computer this week. I am purring and making biscuits. (Only cat lovers will understand that one!) This was all healthier than me eating a bag of Oreos, but a little more expensive . . .

I'll Take the Nothing Please

I was getting ready for church yesterday and as usual time was in short supply. Chad advised the kids they needed to finish supper so they could get dressed for Cubbies. As has been the case for several days now, Zachary fussed over his food and refused to eat it. Chad told him it was "that or nothing." (When my mom reads this, I am positive she will laugh and nod because this is a phrase that was intertwined with my entire childhood.) Well, Zachary got up and started looking all over the island. Apparently, he wanted to try this new delicious sounding food called "nothing." You just have to laugh!

Lazy Day

We are actually having a lazy day today! For the first time in months, we have stayed home all day and gotten to do whatever we wanted. For me that included laundry, mopping, and other such random chores. But I am still quite happy about that. Even as I type this I am waiting for a woman to come purchase one of my Craigs List items. She lives in Gunter, but was supposed to be here several hours ago. I am learning not to count my chickens before they are hatched.

We had a terrific week. Had school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The kids seem to be enjoying the curriculum. I know I am. AIG's preschool curriculum has a wholistic approach and all the subjects are centered around the Bible verse and/or story of the day. Fantastic! We have 1-2 hours each school day and Hannah seems to be digging it. Zach even joins us sometimes though he prefers to just practice with his scissors. :)

We had a Mommy & Me play day here on Thursday. There were four moms and 12 kids. Wow! Then I got to go to a sewing class at Joann's that night. Very fun!

Overall it was a terrific week and I made a lot of progress on tons of things. I still have so much to do after getting back-logged during my pregnancy and of course after Rebecca was born, but I am starting to see the progress now. Before it always seemed like more was coming in than was going out! I even got me email Inbox down to 231 items. Woohoo! Laugh if you like, but I'm breathing sighs of relief all the same. :)

Blast From The Not-So-Distant Past

I was going through some old emails (yes, I have over 300 in my Inbox waiting to be fully handled) and I came across this adorable photo Chad took in April with his phone. Notice the white toy boppy in the bottom right? Too cute!! Just had to share!!



And Rebecca is on the mend. Her fever broke Monday night. Thank you for all the prayers! My poor baby definitely needed them. She is still a little grumpy and needy, but most assuredly better. :)

Sickly Baby Girl

My sweet little Rebecca woke up with a fever this morning. She looked and sounded pretty pathetic so I stayed home with her while Chad and the other two kiddos went on to church. I'm glad I kept her home because after she woke up from her morning nap her fever had spiked to 102.4 and then she just laid on my chest completely still with very shallow breathing for a long time.

I have been alternating Tylenol and Motrin all day to keep the fever under control. She looks and sounds so weak and it just breaks my mommy heart. This I-wish-I-knew-where-it-came-from virus better scadoodle as fast as it arrived. Our only outing this week was to Chick-Fil-A for lunch on Saturday. I have some strong suspicions. Would you please pray our baby girl heals quickly?

I'm Still Here

I'm still here. It's just been oh-so-busy lately. Chad and I have had various meetings at church, he has been working some on his "night job," and I started homeschooling on Monday. I have also been learning how to post items on Craigs List and sit by a very silent phone. Oh well.

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

Having lunch at Paw Paw's birthday party.

I think Rebecca is going to keep Daddy's beautiful blue eyes.

Hannah's hair is getting super long. She is such a good helper to mommy.

I attempted to get the girls side by side, but Rebecca made ready for her escape when I moved my hand from her side. I'll keep trying.



And forget about a picture of the boy for now. For a few months now he has been running any time a camera comes into view. I promise he is still here. :)

Girls Night In

Amy and I made a kid swap on Monday, her taking Zachary and me taking Keely. While the boys had fun with cars and trains, watching Wall-E and, well, being boys, our house became very girly. By the night's end, the girls had played dress up, squealed in delight I don't know how many times, giggled about everything and nothing in particular, and located everything pink in the house.

I had a roll of sugar cookie dough, so they also got to be sugared up and decorate 15 cookies.



There's nothing quite like eating sugar cookie dough off your fingers.



One of Hannah's yummy treasures.



Keely enjoyed squishing her cookie into the sprinkles. Then she would eat the extra dough off her fingers. Smart girl!



Notice the predominate color? They turned out soft and yummy and we all had a good-night cookie.

And then there was the morning after . . .

Hannah refused to smile for me and just sat staring at the TV either with her mouth open or with a grumpy grimace. Nice. But over all, all four of the kids had a blast and we plan to do it once a month.

Rebecca's 9 Month Appt

Rebecca had her nine month appointment on Monday. We were a little delayed because of her shot schedule. She weighed in at 18 pounds, 13 ounces. Her growth has slowed considerably, just like Hannah and she is now in the 37 percentile. Her height is still up there though at 29 inches (81%) and her head circ. is 17.5 inches (54%). She got one shot including her first flu shot. Hard to believe we are preparing for that season already.

We had one issue to deal with. I had noticed a thin film over her vaginal opening and the doctor confirmed that she has labial adhesions. Upon researching, I have found that the condition is very common in baby girls. Though it usually resolves itself by puberty (and often by age 6), the doctor prescribed an estrogen creme to urge it along. We will have to contend with it reappearing for several years and it will make her more prone to UTI's (absolutely no bubble baths for her!), but she should have no side effects. It doesn't seem to bother her at all, but I still feel better for talking with the doctor about it.

Her hair is growing very rapidly lately and I am trying to find a hair style that works. Are these two styles cute or what?

"Abecca" (Zachary's name for her) is crawling and cruising around. Saturday night she started saying "da da da" and Daddy was over the moon. She still just has two teeth but that doesn't stop her from eating EVERYTHING you put in front of her. She has developed a bond with a pink puppy that barks when you squeeze the belly. It's in the first picture above. Thanks to whoever gave her that because it is a huge hit. She hugs it tightly every time it is time to sleep. So stinkin' sweet!