Which FINALLY brings us to the present!

WAHOOOO! I am finally caught up! I hated being so far behind...it was just hanging over my head like a black cloud. Boo...but it's gone now! I am sitting here in Mimi's kitchen about to go to bed!!!! We are spending the week here for Thanksgiving! It is going to be so nice to see everyone again. The trip over wasn't too bad...but could have been better. Our kids get car sick...so we had puke in every state between here and there!!! YUCK-O. The drive wasn't bad though...we left at 4:45 am and got here shortly before 6 pm. I can't believe it is Thanksgiving already and Christmas is right around the corner...I am looking forward to getting the tree out and decorating the house when we get back home!

Happy Turkey Day everyone! I am so thankful for God, my family, and friends! Love you all!

HUGS!!!

Crafts from School!

The girls made their own "Indian Vests and Headbands" in celebration of the first Thanksgiving Day with the Pilgrims and Indians. Just had to share....

Halloween!!

This year was the first year that I've let the girls go through a catalog of costumes and pick out what they wanted to be. It was SO fun...they looked and looked through the book!! Princess KG decided to be a Love Bug and Princess KF was a pink SuperGirl. We spent the day making and decorating cookies and a birthday cake for my grandmother whose birthday was a few days after Halloween. We then went Trick-Or-Treating in the neighborhood and that was our Halloween. The girls had a blast! :)

Talent Show!!

We had a Talent Show at Church. My girls are in the Praise Kids Choir! Their group performed "If I were A Butterfly!" Too stinkin' cute...all those little sparkly faces singing at the top of their lungs and loving every minute of it! The costumes were AMAZING!! I had a little Butterfly & a little Flower. :)

How could you not love these faces???

Pssst...Princess KF put on her own lipstick!

God has blessed me abundantly!

I am so thankful for the blessings in my life. There are times in life when certain things happen that you just can't help but stop and realize just how good you have it. Recently, Big Mac & I were overjoyed to find out we were pregnant again. We had hoped to have more children...they are truly a blessing from the Lord and we aren't getting any younger either! I was sure it was going to be a boy this time, I was struggling with the nausea a LOT worse than with my other two. At 8 weeks & 3 days, we were diagnosed with a blighted ovum...there was no baby. I had been pregnant, but the baby was absorbed by my body, probably due to a chromosomal abnormality per the dr. Through it all, God was with me every step of the way. As I sat in the dr's office waiting for my ultrasound, I just knew something was probably not right. Song after song of God's goodness and mercy flooded through my mind as if He was preparing me, holding me, sustaining me with His unending mercy and love. Sure enough, my fears were confirmed, but all I could think of were the two beautiful little girls that God had already blessed me with. I am SO lucky and God is SO good. I had a natural miscarriage 6 days later at home. I know that God has a plan and that this was not some random event that happened to us. He is in control and I give Him all the praise and all the glory! He is my Comforter, Deliverer, Merciful Sustainer. I love Him, my wonderful, amazing hubby and beautiful wonderful children more than words can begin to say! Thank you Jesus, that you always know our needs and provide!

First Day of School going TO school.

Princess KG started Kindergarten. She was very excited and oh so adorably cute in her uniform! We had Orientation on a Saturday morning, then the first day of school the following Monday. She wasn't upset or scared. I, on the other hand, was a basket case. My BABY was going to school. Thankfully, I only teared up on the way and she never saw me and I managed to make it to the exit of the school parking lot before I burst into tears. I.was.pitiful!!!! (to say the least) We made it through two weeks of school. Her Dad & I just didn't have peace about it. We had been struggling with the prospect of homeschooling throughout the spring and summer before school started. I was afraid and unsure. After much prayer, we felt that God was leading us to homeschool our children. So, we ordered the materials and withdrew from school. We LOVE having school at home! It is amazing to watch my kids learn and be a major instrument in that process! Princess KF sits and learns with us too. We memorize Scripture, are learning to read and write in Cursive. We have Phonics, Handwriting, Numbers, Art, Music, Social Studies and Science. After surrendering to the Lord's leading, an immediate peace followed! Princess KG's first report card was A's!! I'm so proud of my babies!! Here are pictures of Princess KG's Orientation Day, First Day of School & Breakfast - Daddy's Pancakes! Nothing starts the day like Daddy's Pancakes!! YUMMM!

...and still more! Enjoy!

Including, but not limited to...the new scooter toy Princess KF got on her birthday, new nightgowns bought when shopping with Mimi & overall gooey adorable sweetness!!!

More Pictures from Mimi & G-Dad's visit!

Princess KF's 4th Birthday complete with a visit from Mimi & G-Dad!!

My baby turned 4 this year..where DOES the time go??? I was just bringing her little bitty self home from the hospital last week, or so it seems! Gosh, I love my kids!! I am truly blessed beyond belief, understanding and amazement! God is totally awesome!!!! We celebrated Princess KF's birthday with a Tinkerbell cake (which I made) and a party with the grandparents! She loaded up on the presents...let me tell ya! She finally got the green Leapster 2 she'd been wanting and an awesome Tinkerbell house and Princess blanket and pillow!

While Mimi & G-Dad were here visiting, I took Mimi & the girls to the South Fork Ranch. Would you believe we went in for the tour and left the side door on the van open the ENTIRE time??!?!! Thankfully, everyone there was honest and nothing was missing! The facility itself was kinda disappointing...not what we thought it would have been...but it was still great fun spending time together! We had a meal at Saltgrass and went to Bass Pro Shop one night too. We were all so glad they came for a visit...they got to see the house and where we're living. We're hoping they decide to come back for another visit soon!!!!

Circus!!!

Shame on me, I know, for being so behind in these posts. I have a lot to catch up on. We'll start with our trip to the Circus. Nanny and Paw-Paw were so kind to buy us all tickets to go..and of course, buy their girls some goodies too! It was fun. This was the girls 2nd Circus adventure...the first of which we took great pictures at a few years ago only to lose our camera at the Circus on the way out!!! This time we managed to make it home with everything we took! HA! The girls had a blast!!

Life...goes on....whether I document it or not!!!

I have been terrible about posting lately. I promise I will try to get caught up and stay that way! So much has happened since the last time I have posted and now I'm feeling overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. Most all of it is old news now. :( Oh, well..still news nonetheless. I will try try try to get to this in the next few days!!

Love you all & Happy Fall!!!

School Days, School Days.

Well, the time in our life has finally arrived to send our first little one off to Kindergarten. *sniff, sniff* I am NOT excited about my little princess going to "big school". We will miss her terribly. Yes, I know it is only for a little while each day - but, I just brought her home from the hospital last week!!!! (or so it seems) Time sure does go by too quickly. I know I will only blink and she'll be graduating high school. Say a little prayer for us tomorrow as we embark upon this new chapter. She is VERY excited! I just hope I don't cry all the way to school and all the way home. *sniff, sniff*

Big Brother is Back!!

Treyberg is here! Treyberg is here! Treyberg is here!!!!!! YAY!! I have to say...he has grown into quite the young man since I last saw him. He looks like he's grown another foot and is super handsome! Such a great young man - so very smart! He's taking almost all AP classes in school and is quite the marksman in ROTC. He's just a big ball of awesomeness! I love him to death - it was wonderful to see him walking off of the plane today. We don't see him nearly enough! I can't believe he will be 16 in two months -- I remember when he was an adorably skinny little 8 year old boy! My, my. Now he's got a girlfriend and a driving permit!! The girls are beyond excited to have their big brother in the house. They helped me get his room & bed ready this afternoon before we left to go to the airport! I'll have to get some pictures up soon! I LOVE my family! I'm so very blessed and God is awesome! I love how He always has our best interests at heart!!

On another note, we got over to the airport and back without the GPS!!! I finally feel like we're getting a really good handle on where everything is and how to get there. :o)

Love and sunshine to all!!!!

Happy Independence Day!

Thank you so much to all of the military personnel, past and present, who sacrifice of themselves to maintain our freedom! I truly appreciate everything you and your families do for our country. May we take this time to reflect and let those know we thank them.

Hope everyone has a Safe and Happy 4th of July with friends and family!!

Love to all and God Bless!!

Oh...the humanity!!!

Mm-kay...here is a little dose of humor for ya. Saturday night, Mac and I were sitting in the office after the girls went to bed checking our Facebooks/email/work. Both of us happily sitting together minding our business when...WHAMMO! I got smacked in the nose with an awful stench. At first, I was thinking.."ok, I know I've been outside some and haven't had my shower today, but really..I cannot smell like that". So, I sat there a few minutes trying not to gag from the smell. Next thing I know, Mac is sniffing as he's sitting in his chair. This is swiftly followed up with him saying "Do you su-mell that?!?!?! What IS that??" Mind you, we were in the house with all of the windows and doors closed and the smell was fast filling up the house. We soon came to the conclusion, that somewhere (VERY close by), a skunk had been disturbed! Further investigation led us to the back yard, where we discovered that the dog had been sprayed!!! You cannot imagine the stench!! Well, maybe you can, but I promise it HAD to be worse than what you're imagining!!!! IT.WAS.AWFUL - so thick you could almost taste it!! YUCK! The only positive after figuring out the dog was "stankin", was coming back into the house to realize it didn't smell as bad as we originally thought - because we had been to smell the source!!! LOL Today, we walked into the back yard and determined that the POO (Point of Origin) of the smell was dead in the center of the yard. Slowly, it is diminishing...but not nearly quick enough if you ask me.

Happy Father's Day!

Thank you so much to the wonderful Dads in my life!

To my Dad - Thank you for being my support through the years. Thank you for the time you spent with me and the time you now spend with my children. Thank you for all the hard work you put in through the years, your mercy and love. I could never repay you for all you have done! I strive to be patient and understanding like you and hope to impart to my children some of the same life lessons you taught me. My children are lucky you are their Paw-Paw!

To my 2nd Dad (my father-in-law) - I am so lucky to have you in my life. Thank you for all you do for us. Thank you for raising such a wonderful son, you taught him so many things throughout his life. You are a wise, kind, loving, giving man and I appreciate you more than you know! You have my utmost respect. My children are lucky you are their G-Dad!

To my Big Mac - Thank you thank you thank you for all that you do and for who you are! Your love and sacrifice for this family on a daily basis is overwhelming! You are such a wonderful Dad to our children! Thank you for putting us first. You amaze me daily and our kids are blessed beyond measure to have you for their Daddy! Thank you for your dedication, your love, and your patience. You Are Awesome!!!

To the three of you, I hope you have had a wonderful Father's Day today. I love all of you more than I could ever say. You all are marvelous examples of faith for me and my children to see. Please know you are in my heart all the time!!! I am truly blessed!!

I Love You.

Who knew??

We went to buy the swings and hardware for the swingset last night. Goooood Grief...who knew they cost so stinking much? Big Mac and I sure didn't! Talk about shock and awe!!!!! (I just realized I sound like my father-in-law, whom I love dearly and is a very wise man!) It ended up being $200 to install 3 swings ?!?!?!- yes, I said 3. I mean, really...it is only swings for goodness sake. On another note...gas is up to $2.57/gallon of regular gas here as of this morning. Summer comes and gas prices soar!! GRRRR. Criminy....& Pete! Alright, I'm recovered now, just needed to vent. Hope everyone has a blessed day!

Our Summer Project

First, let me say I have been terrible about updating this blog lately! Shame on me, I have GOT to do better. We have been so busy working on the swing set and I have been too lazy to update it during the day - and that's the truth. Sad, isn't it. Our swing set is coming along marvelously though! The girls are too excited and they are loving it. They're quite the little helpers - sometimes offering a little too much help! I'm so proud and amazed at my husband as he builds this. He has no plans to go by - only a picture of the finished product. He built the ladder yesterday and did it perfectly! The top step is flush with the lower deck. He has routered (is that the correct terminology??-he used a router) all of the edges and sanded everything - making sure our girls and their friends will be safe safe safe when they play on it. He is such a wonderful man! As I type this, he's outside mowing, weed eating, and edging the grass. I don't deserve him - I'm so lucky! Thank you Jesus!!! Oh...Princess KG was promoted from the Preschool 4 Class to the Kindergarten 5 Sunday School class today. She was so excited about it and loves her new teacher and class. She came home today with a promotion certificate - my baby sure is growing up fast! On a side note, I have started to look for a job. Please agree with me in prayer that the right one will come along or that God will intervene some way and provide for me to continue to stay home. I appreciate your prayers. Now, I'll stop rambling and post some pictures of my husband's awesome handiwork! It isn't finished yet, but thought ya'll would enjoy seeing the progress that's been made. He's such a carpenter!!!! I'm smiling from ear to ear as I type this - I LOVE HIM!!!

Mother's Day 2009

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! The girls were so sweet, of course it was also Princess KG's Birthday. My Mom was so nice to ask the girls over the Friday before Mother's Day to spend the day with her. She did crafts with them all day (which they loved) and they made my Mother's Day presents too. The girls each made me a stepping stone and drew me a card, which Princess KG signed herself! - I will cherish them forever. I LOVE those girls and my son more than, more than, well, life itself! They are all so precious and such blessings!

My little Cubbies!!!

The girls finished Awanas on May 13th. They really enjoyed it and memorized all of the Scripture for the year. I am so proud of them both. They were really disappointed to find out Cubbies was over, but were excited to know they'll participate again next year! Here are a few pictures from Awards Night. Enjoy!

I have not forgotten you!

Oh, my! I have so much to blog about, but don't really have the time right now! Hopefully, I will get to it soon. I'm sure you all think I have forgotten you - but, I have not! This has been a wonderful weekend full of family, friends and productivity!! We are working on the girls a swingset. It has been so much fun working with Big Mac doing this together. :) We work very well together and enjoy spending the time together. I hope to have some pics on here soooon!!!

Well, I must get busy again for now. Much love to all of you!!!

More Birthday Pictures!