virus

Do not click on the stinkin' comments left on my blog if you can't see the message. If it says click here and here is a link, they are trying to plant a virus. It's driving me crazy!!!!!

When I'm down...

...all I have to do is look at a picture like this and realize how blessed I am.

Happies and Crappies

My friend, Emily, posted "Thankful Thursday" on her blog and I thought I'd do the same. Only, once I thought about it, I thought I'd do what our life group at church does. We do happies and crappies. What was the best part of the week, what was the worst part/prayer requests.

My happies for the week: my girls.

I'm so blessed with such wonderful girls and I've really paid attention to that this week. I don't like to compare them to other kids, but I do like to think about typical kid behavior and see if my kids are doing the same developmentally and socially. Ellie has an earlier bed time and has done so much better - not so whiny, not pushing my buttons as much, and just happier all around. Ava is such an amazing baby! She's fairly advanced in her development and she's just a great kid! People warned me that the second born would be a handful, but she has proven them wrong so far (aside from the month when she was about 2 months old when we thought she had food allergies - and by the way, I think I've figured it out - BANANAS, of all things!!)

I kept my nieces over the weekend and we had a blast! All 4 girls went to get their picture taken and it turned out great! It's so nice to spend time with family.

Jeff broke out his guitar tonight and played around with it and I played my keyboard for a little while. We don't do that very often, but our kids love it when we do. Ellie likes to learn to play along and Ava loves to listen.

We were able to spend time with our neighbors today, which we haven't done in a very long time! We had a good time and it was good to do something out of the ordinary.

My cousin, Landy, turned 25 today!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EFFIE! :-)

Also, I've been reading my Bible every night for the past week. I've never done that consistently in my entire life, so it was a big accomplishment, although I still have lots to learn.


My crappies/prayer requests:
~Ellie was sick this week - tonsils were swollen, puss pockets on throat, fever, runny nose, cough...I took her to the dr., but her dr. was out and the one we saw said she was fine - to just take her home and let her rest...?!?? At least it wasn't strep.
~Ava has had a runny nose and has been fussy today. She's not a fussy baby at all, so we know she doesn't feel well.
~Normal, everyday strains in our marriage. We've just been in a funk lately and need to get out of it. I think the weather is making it worse because we can't do so many of our favorite things.
~Friends. I don't feel like I have many close ones here. Most of my best friends live several hours away and it's hard to meet people and/or spend time to develop relationships when we're iced in.
~ICE. We have it again. Jeff actually slipped on it today and has some pretty good bruises. He'll probably end up at the chiropractor because his shoulder is really bothering him.

Praying for my girls

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want for my girls. These are the top 3 things I've been praying for quite a while now. What do you pray/have you prayed for your kids?

1. That if they are ever sick, whether it be a cold, the flu, cancer...whatever, that I get it instead of them.

2. That they are better/smarter/more Godly than me.

3. They they are a blessing to those around them.

Cabin Fever

My friend Sandy is probably laughing at us for thinking that we have so much snow, because compared to Chicago, this is nothing. We were snowed in though, and had major cabin fever. Jeff and Ellie went out to play, but it was so icy, they couldn't do much. We don't have a sled, so I decided to try a make-shift one. I tied clothesline to a laundry basket...and it was a huge hit! Ellie loved it outside - and both of the girls enjoyed it inside! :-)

as big as Texas

One time, when Ellie pooped, she said, "I pooped as big as Texas!" It was pretty funny.

The snow is what was as big as Texas today. I don't think I've ever seen flakes as big as the ones that were coming down earlier.

I don't know how Ava opens her eyes so wide, but she does it all the time! :-)

Red

This is a tribute to my Grand-daddy, who most people knew as "Red" because of his red hair. He passed away Wednesday night. He was 80 years old and had battled cancer for the past 2 1/2 years, so he fought hard, but was just tired. He had a hole in his intestines, which proved to be too much for his body and although they said surgery might fix it, he probably wouldn't have survived the surgery, so my Nannie loved him enough to let him go peacefully and not hurt any more.

He was pretty well non-responsive Wednesday in the hospital. They told us that it would only be another hour or two, so we were able to say our goodbyes. I told him to be good (he was a stinker!!) and I told him Ellie sure wanted to see him, but they wouldn't let her back there since she was so young. They did, though...and it was precious. As soon as she said, "Hi, Grand-daddy!", his eyes opened and he looked right at her. When she waved and told him bye, he raised his arm trying to wave back. It was the hardest, but best goodbye we Ellie, Jeff, and I could have asked for.

One of my favorite memories of him was right before our wedding. Jeff and I got married in Nannie and Grand-daddy's yard, just like my parents did. My dad built a gazebo in their yard for one of their anniversaries, so we were repainting that one day. I had told Grand-daddy that for my wedding gift, I wanted him to play his harmonica for me, but he hadn't played in several years because of his false teeth. He came out to the gazebo that day and just sat there while Nannie, Jeff, and I painted. I wondered if he was up to something...but he just sat there. Without saying a word, he pulled out his harmonica and started playing, even with his false teeth. It was priceless.

We loved Grand-daddy and have such great memories of him. He was a stinker (as you can see in the picture - he would never pose because he was acting so silly), but he loved all of his grandkids and great-grandkids dearly - and we knew it! He was a Christian, so there is no doubt that he is at home with our Savior now and that he is suffering no more. We will be together tomorrow for his visitation, then the funeral will be Saturday. Please pray for our family, especially my Nannie.

new stuff

1. Ava rolled over last night from her back to her belly!

2. Ellie woke up crying 3 times last night - she said she didn't want me to leave her (not just her bedroom, everywhere). Now I'm paranoid something is going to happen to me?!?

3. We took the girls to the park yesterday and it was SO nice! It was Ava's first time to swing in a big girl swing. I'll have pictures and videos on here soon.

4. Our life group has challenged each other to read the Bible daily - and there are rewards involved, just to encourage us to keep it up.

5. Ellie has finally started going to bed earlier...but that means she's getting up earlier, too. She's a night owl and it's been hard to break her from staying up late...because she would fuss and cry if we tried to put her to bed too early and I got to where I dreaded bedtime because I knew she would fight us and it was getting so old trying to be so strong and stick to our guns. This week has been much different, though. Come bed time, she's ready! It's so much nicer than having to fight with her about going to sleep. Now they are both asleep by at least 9:00'ish and up between 7:30 and 8:00 (which is way more normal for kids their age anyway).

6. Ava eats rice cereal twice a day now - and does it like a pro! She likes to eat!! :-)

7. Jeff's hair is long enough to donate, but he doesn't want to cut it yet. He's afraid he'll miss it!

Land of the Living

We all woke up this morning!!! (My previous post will explain why that is so exciting.) And, we're all feeling much better. I think poor Ellie had 2 things going on - sore throat with fever AND vomiting. Jeff just had the stomach stuff and I just had the throat stuff. Ava's been spitting up more, but not really vomiting, but I think we are all better today!

Sick feeling...

Okay, so tonight was one of those nights where you get that uncontrollable sick feelings and it just won't go away, so I probably won't sleep well tonight. Ellie got upset at bed time tonight and ended up falling asleep in my arms. She said she didn't want to go to sleep. Now, don't get me wrong, she says that a lot, but tonight was different. I asked her what was wrong and she said she didn't want to go to sleep because God told her He didn't want her here. I was confused and asked what she meant. She said God told her He didn't want her here any more and that He wanted her in Heaven with Him. I asked when and she said right now. We've tried to explain that if we love God and do what He wants us to do, we'll live with Him one day. I still have that horrible feeling in my stomach, though. I know, that sounds bad and I shouldn't say that I want anything other than for her to spend eternity in Heaven...but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for that yet. I guess this is a reality check for me. I've always wondered if we would raise a child who might want to serve overseas as a missionary and I've prepared myself to be supportive if that be the case someday, although I would be so sad to be so far away from my child. I want to support my kids in whatever they do, if they are following where God is leading them. In my head, I feel like God has so much more for Ellie (and Ava) to accomplish and that He's not done with her here on earth...at least, that is my selfish prayer tonight.