Moments in Time

A Link to Sugar and Puppy Dog Tails

2010-07-11T21:22:00.000-06:00

For those of you still clicking on this page to see my blog here is the new link. This is for you Jeff. :) Sugarandpuppydogtails

Moving

2010-07-02T15:39:00.001-06:00

I have been wanting to change my blog for some time to take out my little one's name out of the address. So since the addition of my son I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make the move. Shoot me an email darrylin1 at netzero dot net or check out the link at facebook. Hope to see you there.

Me and my two loves

2010-06-27T20:12:00.002-06:00

I think that I am finally coming out of a fog of being a parent of a newborn. I am venturing out of the house more which requires a whole new logistics when you have a preschooler and a infant. I have to say it is a lot easier doing it with help than by myself. But I am learning and know that many mommas have done this before me. So I am encouraged that I will learn the tricks.

This past week Mickey has been going to swimming lessons and has completely enjoyed it. I can't post pictures because I am not allowed to take them until the last day of class. Do you know how difficult that has been for this photo taking momma? Extremely. But it allows for less distractions for my little girl so I will go along with it.

This morning while getting ready for church I asked my hubby to snap some pictures of me and the cuties. I am so glad that the did. I really liked how they turned out. He also got a picture of Nate smiling. I have been trying to get one of him and his cute little grin but I have missed it. So I was very happy to see that Jeff was able to get it done. So I thought I would share those with you.

Empanadas

2010-06-26T22:14:00.007-06:00

One of my favorite things is my mom's homemade Empanadas. I just love them and they are always a treat. One my mission to learn these recipes and be able to make them for my own children. I asked my mom this week while she was visiting and helping me to show me how to make them. I am so glad that I did. So I thought I would share with you, you know in case you want to venture out and make these for yourselves. =0) Oh and Dave, this post is for you.

You will need 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Now in my mom's words add 2 big spoonfuls of crisco. What is a "big spoonful", the picture below will show you.

If you are my mom you will mix up those ingredients with your hands. If you are me and your hands are older than you are and have arthritis in them, while I use a pastry cutter. You mix it until the mixture is kind of crumbly. Now get a cup of warm water. You will want to add the water slowly and mix it in until a big ball of dough is formed. I did not use the full cup of water but I can't give you an exact measurement as you will just need to add and see how it feels.

Now for the filling part of the recipe. You are going to want at least 5-8 apples. Not tart apples like you would use for apple pie so go for a Gala apple. (hope that is what they are called) or a red delicious. Peel them and grate them. Once you have that put them in a soup pan and add a little water to it and put it on the stove and turn to medium heat. Add sugar and cinnamon to taste (I think it was about a cup of water to 10 apples). You don't need to cook it long on the stove just enough to get everything to come together about 5-10 minutes (you don't want to make applesauce). It should look like this....

You could also add some canned pumpkin to the mixture, again just add enough to taste and add some more sugar and cinnamon. The next step is to take a strainer and add your apples to it and strain out the juice. You don't want a wet mixture when you add it to your dough.

Now take your dough and make a small ball and roll it out and place a spoonful of the filling into it. See below...

Fold it in half and seal the sides crimping them together.

Or you can go to wal-mart and get the nifty little gadget that my mom brought me "empanada maker" that allows you to roll the dough out like you would do for cookies. Then cut it out like you would cut cookies out and then put the dough on the press and add filling and press and it is done. So much easier, but I didn't take pictures of that. This is "old school" like my mom would say.

After you get a cookie sheet full. Brush melted butter (or egg wash) on top and add cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Then eat and enjoy!

They make a lot but sure are yummy. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Father's Day, Jeff

2010-06-20T21:42:00.003-06:00

My children are blessed with a great father. Mickey is truly his princess and he is her prince charming. I think that if she had her way she would grow up and marry him. She is very attached to him and more so lately with all the changes in her life. I love that when he is on a business trip that he calls home before bedtime and talks just to her. Then there are those extra special times when she gets to see her daddy on the computer.

Nate already has his daddy wrapped around his little finger. Daddy loves on him, takes care of him, feeds him,and overall can't wait to get home and hold his little man. I see those two being two peas in a pod.

Today we went as a family swimming. Nate really slept through the whole event. But hey he was there. Yesterday, Mickey and Daddy went swimming and they just had to bring me back today to show off a bit. Mickey wanted Daddy to show off jumping on the diving board. Boy she was an excited little one when seeing her daddy jump!

Daddy was excited to show off his girl Mickey who was fearless in the water. They are both great water bugs. I just enjoy them both. All in all we had a great Father's day.

Jeff, we love you and appreciate all you do. We know that husband and father are the two most important jobs in your life and it shows. Thank you for your sacrifices you make for us. I very much appreciate the sleep you get me when you are home. Love you!!

JessicaSprague.com's 3rd birthday

2010-06-18T22:00:00.003-06:00

Somehow I stumbled onto Jessica Sprague website and I am so glad that I did. I have been on a journey at her site. I started off with a free class that taught me some basic Photoshop Elements skills which I had been wanting to do for a long, long time. Then I took a couple of paid classes. One of which I made my first ever scrapbook and it was all about me. I enrolled in a class on photo restoration but I haven't finished it yet... something about giving birth to Nate sort of put that on hold for the moment. But the best thing about her classes is that I have access to all the materials and her lectures handy whenever I want to go back and refresh my brain or like in this case put on hold for a few weeks (months).

This weekend they are celebrating the 3rd birthday by doing a blog hop. I think that it is a great idea and you get to pick up some great freebies along the way. So I thought I would let you digital scrapbookers in on the secret and also those that want to get started know of a great place to get started at. Hope you head over there and check things out. And while you are there sign up for her next free class... I know that you will sure enjoy yourself. :)

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-06-17T22:25:00.003-06:00

I had a wonderful day with the best family, MINE! My dear hubby took over kid duty (like he does when he is home) and let me sleep in. How wonderful is that?? Even more wonderful when you realize that there is never a day when I am a morning person. So when I get any extra sleep in the morning it is the greatest gift ever!

Mickey and Daddy picked up my cake today from a local bakery. YUM!

This was a marble cake and Mickey thought that they were going to put a marble on top. We put candles on it and Mickey helped me blow out the candles, because you know that she is the best candle blower outer that there is.

We ate at Olive Garden which was yummy. They just opened in my town and I am very happy about that. This is actually my second time to go since my dear friend, Sarah, took me there on Saturday. We had some kid free, adult girl time. But today was my family and it was so nice. Mickey introduced herself to everyone.

We came home and I opened up my gifts a GPS and popcorn maker. Now I can eat popcorn that I don't burn on the stove... and I won't get lost when I am taking the kids to whatever activity we go on. Yay! Mickey also gave me a treasure. She wrote her name on a birthday card that she picked out. Now that is a treasure.

All in all my day was great. It was low key but really, that is just what I wanted and needed at this time in my life. What better way to spend your day than with your hubby and your two kiddos? I can't think of anything. I mean just look at these two cuties and spending my birthday with them being a family is the greatest gift ever. I am truly blessed with my life.

VBS

2010-06-11T21:39:00.008-06:00

This week was the week of Vacation Bible School. Mickey enjoyed herself and looked forward to going everyday. It was fun to see her come home each day and to hear her stories and to hear the songs that she was learning through the week. She was sad today when she realized that tomorrow we would not be going back to VBS.

Mickey with her teacher and her two kiddos

Tonight marked the first time that as parents we went to a "kid function". It was pretty neat to see our daughter up there showing us what she has been learning. She was very proud and very much the performer. I have uploaded the two songs performed. At the end of the first one you can see her enjoying the applause. On the second one you will see her do her dramatic finish. Silly girl. Hope you enjoy. And, yes, that is my kid that is turning in circles on stage.

One Month

2010-06-11T09:44:00.002-06:00

I can't believe that on Tuesday, Nate turned 1 month. How did that happen? We went to his one month appointment to get him all checked out and he is doing fine. He now weighs 11 lbs and is 22 1/4 inches long.

Nate is a calm baby who loves to sleep. But I have to make sure it is not too quiet or he will wake up. For him to sleep well, we need a healthy dose of Mickey noise. I was amazed one day that I put him in his crib and it was quiet. Guess what he kept waking up. I then moved him to the living room, where Mickey is singing at the top of her lungs. Nate slept really well. Go figure!

Nate is finding his voice and will let himself be heard when he is uncomfortable or is tired or hungry. Funny though his voice is not as loud as Mickey's was. His biggest struggle lately is waking up. It takes him awhile to really wake up. He just struggles and would rather stay asleep but hunger is waking him. He is just a cutie and the whole family has fallen for him. I think that he is a keeper, don't you??

The Prince has arrived

2010-06-03T11:11:00.002-06:00

Children have vivid imaginations and with that they create friends that will often join them on their journey. I think that I was a little unusual as I had a whole family. I had an imaginary mom, dad and little girl. They were not a friendly family, I got a long real well with the little girl not so much with the parents. I would randomly tell people that "My mom didn't like them".... meaning imaginary mom but these poor people that I told this did not know I had a whole imaginary family. My poor real mom had a lot of explaining to do.

Yesterday, Mickey was telling me that she needed to get ready for her prince because he was going to come and take her to the ball. I smiled and told her she looked pretty as she tried on all her pretty princess dresses. Then sometime in the evening before we went to bed the prince arrived. I didn't know he was here until she told me that the prince was here and they were going to the ball. She danced in the living room (where the ball was). Then it was time to get ready for bed and what did I find?? Prince was staying the night. I had to brush his teeth and they both put on their pajamas. She told me that prince and her (her named changed to Cinderella) were the same age, four. And when they grew up they were going to get married. Oh and I was the Queen and the King was out of town on business.

This morning we woke up and Mickey told me that Prince was still here. We all ate breakfast together. They got dressed up again and he has been hanging out all day. Somehow, I think that it he is going to be staying for a little while. It is too cute as she makes room for him and asks for things for him. Right now, she is satisfied if I give her pretend things for Prince, but I think that is going to be short lived before she requires real things for her friend.

I guess I should be happy that it is one friend and not a whole house full, right?

What she wore in preparation for the Prince to come

Dancing with Prince in her Pj's

Prince and Mickey sharing a chair for WonderPets

Dancing this morning in her dress

Mickey's dramatic end to her dance

Waiting for momma to tell her & Prince a story

Nate sleeping through it all

Sand Man

2010-05-30T18:07:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite pictures of Mickey when she was a newborn is the "surrender to Mr. Sandman" photos. Thankfully, we were able to get a similiar shot of Nate. I think that they are both cuties. :)

Mickey

Nate

Pool Fun

2010-05-29T21:49:00.002-06:00

We set up the summer pool outside today. Mickey was having a blast and is a natural water bug. I think that she would spend all her waking time in the water if I would let her. Nate enjoyed some time outside as well today but he decided to take to be lazy outside in the sun rather than enjoy the water. I think that it will be different next summer but right now we are enjoying some cuddle time.

The Joys of Life

2010-05-27T17:00:00.002-06:00

Mickey taking care of her baby doll

Falling in love with this cuteness

He is so sweet

Babywearing

2010-05-26T14:04:00.008-06:00

When Mickey was a baby she needed to be held a lot. Not a lot as in the normal baby needs to be held and loved and comforted, but as in she would not sleep unless I was holding her during the day and had to be close during the night. I did not know all the different things back then that would have made my life easier. Near the end of my time when I had to hold Mickey nonstop I learned about babywearing and the different slings, wraps and other things that would help make mom's life easier. So when I was pregnant with Nate, I knew what I would be buying.

I researched and found a sling that I thought would work for me. I bought it here at Mayawrap.com and I am still learning how to use it. Thankfully, so far Nate is a much better sleeper but he still has his moments where he just wants to be cuddled. I mean what baby doesn't want to be cuddled? I mean that is one of the perks for being a cuddly newborn, right?

I am still getting used to the sling wrap that I bought and due to my learning curve, Nate is not always so fond of being in it. I am hoping that with more exposure on both of our parts that we will be using it more and that we both benefit from it. Now if anyone has any pointers on how to use it, I am all ears and am open to anything that you can help me with.

P.S. Got a shower yesterday and I am out of my pajamas today! Yahoo!! Now if I could just figure out how to eat lunch. :)

Life

2010-05-25T18:47:00.004-06:00

Life with two little ones has been an adjustment for all involved including momma! My mom called today and asked me what I had done today. I told her that I had not managed to get out of my pajamas today, but I did managed to feed two kids and keep them alive today. Now that is what I call an accomplishment. ;) For dinner I managed to feed Daddy, Mickey and Momma sandwiches. I am not sure why I am exhausted but I can say that I am.

Here are some pictures that I can share about life in our home. Hope you have a great day!

Mickey joining Nate for some fun time!

Favorite Pass time Naptime!

Mickey the proud big sister!

Adjusting

2010-05-23T14:44:00.001-06:00

Bringing home baby brother Nate has been an adjustment for our family. We have completely fallen in love with our little guy. Big sister Mickey has fallen head over heals in love with her baby brother. That does not mean that life for her has been an easy adjustment. She loves him but has been going through an emotional roller coaster trying to make sense of her feelings. She loves him on one had and has jealousy (which I am sure can't define) of her brother.

These are difficult for any child to go through but my Mickey is also dealing with the added pressure of being a "High Spirited" kid. The one thing that I have learned about her personality is that she is simply "MORE". So her emotions right now are just "more". More sensitive and more emotional. She misses that undivided time that her momma had just for her and now it is spent taking care of a baby, who she loves. She will tell me... "Momma, put baby brother in his crib" then with a pause "FOREVER".

Then there are the times when she goes out to run errands with her daddy, that she makes sure to tell me what feels like a million times "Momma, you will take care of MY BABY, while I am gone?" She wants reassurance that her baby will be taken care of.

She is helping in all the daily care of Baby brother which helps greatly, because she is involved. She has come up with jobs to help and sometimes it is very exhausting for me we just go with the flow.

Nate is such an easy going little guy. He rarely cries and when he does it cannot compare to what Mickey used to do when she was that little. He does make sure that he is heard but he is not that loud. The cries usually come if he is uncomfortable such as after a bath when he is cold, or his mean momma has used the booger getter in his nose (which he hates). But once he is comfortable again, the crying stops.

Most times when I have Nate cuddle in one arm on me in my big comfy chair, I have Mickey in the other arm. We are one big happy family. They both get cuddle time and I have no arms or hands left. :)

I love my life, even if I could use a little extra sleep. ;)

One Week Old

2010-05-19T11:42:00.003-06:00

On Saturday, Jeff and I decided to try to give our hand at taking some newborn pictures. I think that we got a few "keepers" in the bunch. I even got a few to make into a birth announcement. The only thing is that I am sleep deprived, even though I got a really good sleeper in Nate. I made the announcement but realized after talking with Jeff that I put the wrong date on it. I put May 7th even though the little guy was actually born on May 8th. You would think of all the things that I would know what day my child was born.

Today, I am looking forward to hanging out with my best friend Bev. We haven't had some good girl time in a long while, so I am looking forward in catching up. I have known her since high school (which was a really long time ago). She is able to spend a few days here so I am very excited!!

Here are few pics from our picture taking day. Hope you enjoy!

Sleeping

2010-05-13T20:17:00.004-06:00

As any parent of a newborn will tell you that the nights are long and there is little sleep to be had. Our house is not the exception. What I am wondering though, is how can that be so? Newborns sleep on average 16 hours a day. At least that is what the television said when I was at my last OB appointment.

My little guy is a sleeper. The first few days of life I am I think that I only saw his eyes once because they were closed so much due to the sleep he was getting. I have taken a few naps during the day and been up at night when he is awake a little bit. But seriously this kid isn't difficult to get to sleep, he truly enjoys every moment of dreamland. Mickey was so different. She would sleep but getting her to sleep was always a challenge (still is).

I don't know how I am so tired and he is so rested. But I am enjoying this newborn stage where he is so cuddly and peaceful. I am truly blessed.

Father's Day "Baby" brings home a Mother's Day Baby

2010-05-13T10:49:00.003-06:00

When I last left you, I was headed to the hospital to have my beautiful baby boy. I wasn't sure if we had a name yet but knew that it was time to bring this little one into the world.

I went into the hospital at 8 pm on Friday evening. I liked my nurse Heather who would stay with me through the night. I was given a drug, that I cannot remember the name of but know that they use it for Ulcer patients and they use the drug to help induce pregnant ladies because the "side effects" creates contractions. Fun, huh? I was supposed to take one of these little pills every 4 hours so that my body would be ready for the pitocin in morning. I was also given some ambien to help me sleep. I was told by the nurse that I could have the baby in the middle of the night due to the contractions but that was unlikely. I didn't sleep at all with the ambien and I was having contractions but really did not feel them. I started taking the doses of meds at 10 pm so my next dose should have been 2 am but because my body was having contractions they let me go until 4 when the drug wore off. By that time I had some pain meds and was able to sleep. At 5 I let Jeff know he should come to the hospital and he was there before 6 am.

About 7 or so my contractions started getting more painful. And by 8 my body had completely taken over with labor and contractions. I never got the 3rd dose of the "side effect" drug and no pitocin for me. I was in "active labor sometime after 8 am. The pain was getting unbearable and I did not know how everything would go. I was wishing and hoping for more powerful drugs. :) At 9 am I was feeling great pain and the need to push. Apparently I let out a scream and my doctor who just happened to be there (thank the Lord for bringing her) heard me and was in the room in no time and was able to "catch" the baby.

So our son came into the world fast. So fast that he was born in his sac. And they broke the water as he was coming into the world. Crazy little fella.

I was born on Father's day and made a joke to my mom that it would be ironic if I had this little one on Mother's day. Well, I didn't have him on Mother's day but I brought him home on Mother's day. So it still fits. :)

So now for the information that you want....

Nathaniel Allen
7lbs 10 oz
19 1/2 inches

Eventful Week

2010-05-07T16:32:00.004-06:00

This has been a crazy week. I had my "weekly" appointment for this baby. Which means I am 37 weeks this week. My blood pressure was high and other things were troubling. So I had to do some lab work and an ultrasound today.

Then yesterday was Mickey's 4 year (and 5 months) well child appointment. She is doing well and is a healthy child. She is 95% for height and 10% for weight. Which means this girl cannot afford to lose weight. But in the last few weeks she has decided that since she is 4 now that she can try new foods. So she is eating more. Maybe she will sneak up to 11% huh?? Then at the end of the appointment we had the dreaded shots. Boy it was awful. She screamed and her little ears got super red! She made friends with the nurse before she left the office. Then we headed to Baskin Robbins for a treat. :)

Then today I went for my follow up appointment at my OB's office. And as of 8 tonight I am headed to the hospital and will be induced. So soon we will see my little baby boy. Hopefully we will come up with a name soon. :) So next time I post I will let you know about the new addition to our family.

Pregnancy

2010-05-03T10:50:00.003-06:00

Depending on what day you put in as my due date it seems as if I have just 21 more days to go, you know give or take a few days. The whole pregnancy we have been telling Mickey that the baby is due in May. Now that it is May she is so anxious and can't wait to meet her baby brother. It is fun to see her excitement. I wish that I had the same amount of zeal, but the arthritis, the lack of being able to breath and walk and sleep, I am just looking to the finish line and hope that the excitement will come then. We still need to come to an agreement on a name. Maybe we will just have to see the little guy to know for sure what the name should be.

This weekend we decided to take a few belly pictures. Wow!!! I am huge! No wonder I am so tired. :)

asking the baby to come out soon

What are you doing in there baby??

Then we got one of Jeff and Mickey

One of just Mickey

Old Photos

2010-04-27T12:06:00.003-06:00

I started a new digital editing class from Jessica Sprague. I just love her. I am only on day 2 so I have a lot to learn, but I figured I would show you what I have learned today and look forward to what I learn in the next 2 weeks. This class is to teach you how to restore those old photos. I am going to learn other skills but figured I post as I learn.

This first photo is from my dad's side of the family. I think that it is a great-great-great grandparents, maybe another great is needed to be in there, but I am not completely sure.

This next one is of my great-grandmother (Grandma Chole) my grandmother, my mom and me. 4 generations. I just love and treasure this photo. I am sure that I will different techniques to use on a photo from the 70's as opposed to one in the 1800's. But gave it a go anyways.

Marriage

2010-04-26T10:59:00.005-06:00

We are heading fast (sometimes not fast enough for me) into a time where our lives are going to change forever. For a child, a four year old, life changing experiences are often scary to think about. I think that is what is going on with my beautiful daughter.

We have been through several phases in our journey of anticipating a baby brother. One of the phases was a constant reassurance that yes, she was going to be a part of our family forever and adding someone to it wasn't going to make her insignificant.

Another phase is a constant reassurance that we would love her no matter what. We read a book "Mommy, do you love me?" by Jeanne Willis. It is about a little chick asking her momma do you love me? even when I am good, bad, even when I don't win?. The momma always reassures her little chick that indeed she will always love her chick. This has gone into a lot of questioning from Mickey asking the same question and this momma reassuring her that yes, I will always love you because you are my Mickey.

Now yesterday we entered into a new phase. Daddy is gone a lot of business trips. They stay connected through the computer talking on "Skype" which is a wonderful invention. And nightly goodnight talks. Mickey looks forward to the times when daddy comes home and spending all her time with him. Last night she was sad when bedtime came. Part of it had to do with all the activity that her and her daddy were doing together. The other part has do with her insecurities and apparent jealousy. She was sad because "Daddy loved momma, first and not Mickey". She was sad because "Daddy married momma and not me!" She was truly heartbroken over these two revelations. We tried to comfort her and reassure that her daddy loved her very much. But the fact that he was already married just made her sad. She eventually went to sleep. But the thoughts were right there when she woke up again this morning. I am at a loss on how to explain this to her but I just keep reassuring her that her Daddy loves her even though he is married to me.

Our God Is In Control

2010-04-23T13:52:00.003-06:00

I haven't blogged in awhile. I think that it is due to sheer tiredness and lack of energy and brain function. I hope to get back to regular blogs soon and also gain some of my energy back. I am in my 35th week of this pregnancy and expecting this little guy to make his appearance in the month of May. Although my beautiful daughter who has been right about everything up to this point told me that the baby was coming this weekend. I am not sure why she told me this but she did. I am ready but not sure that she is right this time around. :)

Common questions that I get these days.... "How is this pregnancy going?" "How are you feeling?" "Have you picked out a name yet?" So to give some of those answers here I go. I have hit the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy. With other issues that I deal with on a normal basis it makes pregnancy a little more difficult than if I didn't have to deal with things such as arthritis. However, everything has gone "normally" and everything is looking good and I am very thankful for that. As far as a name for this little guy. We keep that quiet. So we haven't officially decided on a name but this little guy will be the first to know when we have. And if you ask Mickey she will either tell you that the name is "Brownie" "Mr. Brown" or "Janda". I think that she likes Brownie best of all.

I was taking Mickey to the library today for music time and "dance" time. On the way there I was listening to one of the playlists on my Ipod. I was struck by one of the songs on there. "Our God is in Control" by Steven Curtis Chapman. This week I have been continually reminded that no matter what or where we find ourselves in our lives that God is in Control. We may not understand or like where we are but that doesn't change that God is in Control. This is a tough one for me. I like to be in control. I like knowing what is going to happen and when. I don't like to be in a place where I feel like I am not sure why I am there. Then I think that back to why Steven Curtis Chapman wrote the song in the first place. He lost his child and knows that she is in Heaven with the Lord but he misses and grieves her loss. I can't imagine a parent going through that and do it with such grace and giving such a great testimony for trusting in the Lord.

So I just had to share the song with you. In case you may find yourself in a place where you just need to know that the Our God is in control.

Resurrection Rolls

2010-04-06T10:49:00.004-06:00

On Sunday Mickey and I made Resurrection Rolls. I was looking for a way to show her and teach her about what Easter really is. That it is not about eggs or candy or a bunny. So all week we were reading her Bible and talking about the week that Jesus had. I was amazed at her understanding at the age that she is. I am not sure if she really understands what death really is but I do know that when we got to the part of the cross and death on a cross she was heartbroken. She couldn't believe that people were so mean to a man that she knows Loves her. Our favorite saying this week is "Jesus is Alive!" how sweet those words are and how thankful that I am that this is not just another story but one that is so real and important. I am so thankful that Jesus is Alive and that he has given me life.

So in my search I found two recipes that were just right for us. One we used this year and the other we will wait another year or so. I had never heard of either of them, but I think that they are a great way to show the empty tomb! The one we are waiting on is Resurrection Cookies and the one we used was the Resurrection Rolls. The reason we did not do the cookies is that we wanted to know that Mickey would sleep. The cookies require you to put the cookies in before bedtime and to put tape on a closed oven door and go to bed. I wasn't sure my little one would actually get any sleep and in my life right now we need sleep. ;)

We used the Resurrection Roll recipe and we did this on Easter Sunday.

In this object lesson you are showing how Jesus' body was prepared for burial.

You will need

Can of crescent Rolls
Large marshmallows
Melted Butter
Sugar & Cinnamon mixed together

What you do

Open the can of crescent Rolls and separate them into triangles. Explain how this the linen wrapping used to bury the dead.
Dip the marshmallow into the butter (The marshmallow is representing Jesus body). The butter represents the oil that are used to anoint the dead body.
Roll the marshmallow in the sugar & Cinnamon mixture. This represents the spices used in burials.
Place the marshmallow in the middle of the triangle rolls. And wrap up making sure that it is sealed tightly. Put it on a greased cookie sheet.
Place them in the oven, which represents the tomb. Follow the directions on the crescent roll package.
While the rolls are baking we read the Easter story from the Bible.
When the rolls cook the marshmallow melts away and leaves a puffed up roll. This represents Jesus raising from the dead. All that was left was the linen wrapping inside the tomb.

Easter Hunt

2010-04-06T10:23:00.003-06:00

On Saturday we went to our annual Easter egg "Hunt", I think that it should be Easter Egg gather since the kids don't really need to hunt for the eggs. Mickey loves it and we had fun again this year. A local church hosts the Egg Hunt for the community and they sent us an invitation every year. I am impressed how this church finds ways to welcome the community into their church in a very nonthreatening way.

Here are some pics from the morning. The lady that was doing the countdown to start time said "5 minutes till start time". The man next to us said "And 6 minutes until it is over". He was so close to being accurate. I think that the hunt lasted a whole 45 seconds. But I can tell you the kids had a blast!

And so the hunt begins!

Her favorite color is yellow, so she went after the yellow eggs

Showing off one of her eggs

Eating a candy from the eggs

Taking a picture with the Spring Bunny

After this we headed off to a local park and checked out what they were doing. There was not a lot going on. So she played a game or two and then found some "friends" at the playground where she played for awhile. This was a good time for momma to sit down and rest a bit. Walking is not high on my list of favorite things to do right now. Oh the joys of being a pregnant momma! :)

Easter Eggs

2010-04-01T20:36:00.003-06:00

So today we dyed Easter Eggs. Mickey was beyond excited to color her eggs. To say that she had a blast would be an understatement. She was so proud of her work that after she colored them, painted them, and glitter on them she took her very own pictures of her work. She was so proud.

Here are Mickey's pictures...

I think that she did great on decorating her eggs and taking pictures of them. What do you think?? Do we have another photographer in the family?

Here are the rest of the pictures from our fun afternoon.

Our eggs

Mixing Dye

Checking out the egg

Waiting on the Egg

The Look

Waiting on her pink egg

Painting Her Eggs

Putting Glitter on her Egg

Dance and Gym Class

2010-03-29T10:51:00.002-06:00

Mickey has been in a dance & gym class since August. She has really enjoyed tap dancing and also proved herself to be very good at gymnastics. It is fun to see her have fun and be intense as she is learning new skills. We are taking a bit of break and will be looking for a class that will offer her more in the fall. Most likely it will be a class focused on just dance or gym.... or two classes that she can attend that will be one of each. I am just not sure which direction to go. I am not going back to the same place. It is a great concept and if the teaching was adequate would be great but I feel like there are more children in the class that needs to be. So I wasn't to pleased with the program, I think that Mickey had a blast and will look forward to when she can go back and learn some more.

Here are few snap shots...

Cowboy Days

2010-03-26T17:23:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago we went to the Cowboy Days at our local Farm and Ranch Museum. We always have a good time when we go. I think we are raising a little cowgirl, which is odd since I am not a cowgirl. But she loves her horses and animals. I also played with some new actions that I got from the Pioneer Woman that added a little something to the pictures. It was fun to play around with them. :)

Here are the pictures from the day... hope you enjoy them.

Daddy & Mickey

Mickey on her horse ride

A stagecoach ride

Mickey in the stagecoach

Roping the "Cow"

Success

Now to get the "cow" free

Grandma Chole's Bread

2010-03-25T13:33:00.004-06:00

Mickey has been sick, AGAIN. She is tired of being sick as well as momma is. This week it has been stomach junk. Thankfully Grammie Syl came to help out which helps out this momma. As I am not feeling well at all either. Mickey loves her Grammie Syl time which is so nice.

Yesterday, we got out the ingredients to make Grandma Chole's bread. Now this bread is a cross between a biscuit and a cookie. But in my family it is a favorite. Both Grammie Syl and Mickey like to be in the kitchen so this was a good activity for them both. I got to take a few pictures of the process and it was fun and a great tasting outcome.

Apparently Mickey decided that prayer is how we should start off with. :)

First you put in some Crisco and Sugar and beat it together.

Then you put in the baking powder

Dough before the flour

Then you put in the flour

After the flour you put in a "tea" mixture made of anise and cinnamon sticks

Working the dough

Painting the dough with egg

Putting cinnamon sugar on them

Finished product

Mickey Dancing

2010-03-16T18:49:00.003-06:00

Mickey My Dancing Queen

Mickey Dancing to Non Shaking Music

My Princess

2010-02-21T20:20:00.002-07:00

Today Mickey was daddy's little helper. He was working on a project and she was right there with him with her own tools helping him. She loves it when she gets to help him, even if it is helping with a toilet. She left him for a little bit while he was in the midst of his project and then reappeared with a new outfit. I love how she can be working with her tools and be a princess at the same time. So I took out the camera and took a couple of pictures. She has her favorite and I have mine, so I will show you both.

Her favorite

My favorite

The Lovely 4's

2010-02-18T21:01:00.004-07:00

I think that the theme of this year is "repeat, repeat, repeat". It seems as no matter what things are being repeated and repeated and repeated.

When I tell my sweet girl something it is like the ears are turned off. I have even wondered if it has something to do with the current ear infection she is dealing with (yes, we are sick, AGAIN). I then tell myself that it can't be and it has to be the new phase we are in. Sometimes it is like I am talking to myself when I ask her to put things away, or if she wants something, or anything it is like I am not even in the room. Then something happens and she looks at me and is "huh?"

Then there is her repeating things. She will ask me the same question over and over again even though I have already answered the question moments before. My, oh my. I am hoping that this quickly passes because I am growing tired of it fast!

She is getting more and more into pretend play. This I love. She has taken out those toys that I bought a while ago and is finding new uses for them. It is fun to see the imagination blooming. She makes me laugh in her play. Most of her toys that she plays with are small, like "little people" small. But for Christmas she got two Barbie like dolls one is "Sleeping Beauty" and the other "Jasmine" from Disney. These she has affectionately named "My Giants".

The best part of 4 is the random and out of the blue declarations of love. "I love you so much momma!" Now who can not like that!!

Mickey's 4th Year in Review

2010-02-08T16:08:00.002-07:00

I finally got her montage done for her 4th year. It is amazing to see how much she has grown up in the last year. The songs chosen for this year were songs that she has sang constantly. "Malti" by Dan Zanes is one that we have sung in the car driving. I wish that I knew what they were singing about but we enjoy the song. And this year would not be complete without some songs from "The Lion King". I chose "I can't wait to be King" and "Hukuna Matata". The last song is also from Dan Zanes which is "Smile, smile, smile" which I think pretty much sums up my little girl. She is such a happy child and always has a smile on her face (well, mostly). Hope you enjoy. I know that it is really long, so I understand if you don't watch the whole thing. But I order the video every year and well, you just can't make a short one. ;)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

So we found out today

2010-02-05T18:16:00.003-07:00

We went to the Ultrasound appointment and got a good look at our little one. I was amazed at the pictures. One thing struck me funny was this little one had a case of the hiccups and appeared to be getting frustrated with them as we saw a look on the little face that looked rather grumpy. The hiccups soon calmed down.

We found out that everything is looking just like it should. This little one is already 2 pounds. Hoping that this one isn't a bigger baby than little Mickey was. Speaking of Mickey she got to see the pictures and was excited to get a glimpse of her new little sibling. She has lately been talking to my tummy and enjoying asking the baby "how is it going in there?" I think at times she is listening for a response. She told the lady doing the ultrasound that she had a baby in her tummy too, but the baby was not out. The baby is none other than her little baby lion aka "baby Simba".

Here are a couple of pictures

Oh and I know why you are really reading this blog. It seems as if the people who voted on the poll were right along side with Mickey's unwavering knowledge that she was going to have a baby brother! I have to say that Jeff is excited to have a little boy in the house full of women. I mean right now, even our dogs are girls. :) Now to come up with a name. Oh and hope that Mickey doesn't one day hope that this baby doesn't someday turn into a girl like she thinks she did. ;)

Today is the day

2010-02-05T09:39:00.002-07:00

I have had to reschedule this ultrasound a couple of times and now I can't believe today is really the day. Jeff told Mickey we were going to be able to look at the baby today. Mickey's eyes got really big and said "It's going to be born?" She was so excited. We had to tell her that the time for the baby to be born was not yet but will be soon. She is ready to have a baby in house.

So tell me what do you think this little one is going to be? Have you placed your vote yet?? If not, please do so today. I will let you know what this little baby will be.

The Croup

2010-02-02T20:44:00.003-07:00

Last Tuesday we woke up with every intention on Mickey going to preschool. That idea quickly changed when Mickey started to tell me that she had to throw up. In Mickey speak that means that she has some drainage and spitting out the drainage. I was concerned but thought she was okay. I then felt her little body and realized it was warm. After some discussion Mickey was convinced that preschool was not a good choice for the day. I fully expected her to get to feeling better and all would go on as normal.

Then on Wednesday we woke up and she had a fever and she was coughing. I knew that this was something more than a cold. Wednesday night we did not sleep well at all. So Thursday morning we called the doctor and got an appointment for early that morning. I am so thankful for our doctor dedicating the morning times to sick appointments and that we can call and get in to see her right away. Thursday was rough for Mickey. She just wanted to lay in bed and getting her dressed to get her to the doctor was a challenge.

So we get to the doctor's office and are waiting for her to come in and see Mickey. Mickey was leaning on me as I read her a book that we found at the doctors office. When the doctor appeared and took one look at her and knew that this little girl just wasn't feeling well. Mickey even had tears running out of her eyes. After checking her out we found out that Mickey had croup but thankfully she didn't have anything else going on. That was a blessing. Mickey got a shot to help her breathe better. Oh my that was painful. I had to explain to a little four year old that the shot was a good thing. I explained that she was getting the shot so she did not have to taste some yucky medicine. That helped. Mickey's biggest concern going to the doctor's office was that she was going to get yucky medicine. For those that don't know Mickey tastes are a big challenge for her. It is almost torture for her and getting her to take something that tastes awful is a task! As I am sure it is for most kids her age however, my little girl will stress about it the moment we pick up the prescription from the pharmacy.

When we got home Mickey and she went straight to bed. This is highly unusual for her as she thinks naps are one of the worst things ever. So when she was asleep by the time I went to check on her I just knew this little girl was hurting.

Friday, she seemed better. However, it was just a little reprieve. Saturday she was feeling worse again, and she was sprawled out on the couch most of the day. That is when either her daddy or momma was not holding her. But Sunday and on she is improving. We have had most nights that she has been up coughing and that makes nights long and momma's tired. Thankfully last night we got some good sleep. I am so thankful for that.

She is getting better but she still has the seal like cough. But today we were fever free which was a relief. Hoping for a better night.

I Won!!!!

2010-01-31T12:28:00.004-07:00

I am so excited. I never win anything. So when I got the message that I won something it made my day. I was having a rough day. Who knows why other than I am tired, have a sick preschooler and I am pregnant. So this was definitely a highlight in my day.

I have been trying to decide what to do about the whole school thing with Mickey. So I have been reading a very cool blog called Homeschool Creations. And what I love is that she has a section on preschool ideas. We are loving the Alphabet Book and I am not as anxious about the whole teaching at home that I once was. I still have lots of questions but am enjoying our time.

Anyway, she had a giveaway that you posted a comment and you were entered. Never in a million years did I think that I would win. But I am so glad that I did. So soon we will have our very own counting bears, to add to our preschool day. I am excited and can't wait for them to get here so Mickey and I can get to using them.

So a great big thank you goes out to Jolanthe

for making my day a better day. I greatly appreciate it!!

Waffles

2010-01-26T10:47:00.003-07:00

I AM NEVER, EVER GOING TO MAKE WAFFLES AGAIN!!

I can make a lot of different things in my kitchen. I can make pancakes, eggs, bacon and even pour a mean bowl of cereal for breakfast foods. I can do lots of things for dinner and lunch. I can even make bread from scratch and make a cheesecake. All of this to say that I can cook. But that does not mean I am a waffle maker. They are the thorn in my side.

I am usually okay with this because I have a great waffle maker in my home. Jeff is great at it. I even gave him a new waffle maker for his birthday this year (at his request). So I really find that there is no need for me to make waffles.

Then yesterday came. For lunch, Mickey requested waffles. Me, not being the waffle maker decided to put it off for dinner. I mean what is better for dinner than breakfast, right? I knew that Jeff would be home by then and would help and to be honest would take over the waffle making duties. Perfect plan. And then he called to say he would be running late. Due to circumstances out of his control he would most likely make it home right before bedtime for Mickey.

So I took a huge breathe and decided to go ahead with the planned dinner (or breakfast). I knew that if I could follow those simple directions on the box that I could make the waffles. I had seen Jeff do it a million times. So really how hard could it be???

VERY HARD!!

I mixed up the batter. Warmed up his new nifty waffle maker. That beeps when it is ready for the batter, beeps when the waffle is cooked. I was in good shape. Or so I thought. First beep, put the batter in. Second beep take the waffle out. But wait a minute. It is all stuck to the waffle maker. I forgot to spray it.

Okay, got the waffle off and got it cleaned and sprayed it and made my second waffle. Success!!!

Got Mickey eating and enjoying her waffle.

Put the second waffle in. I don't remember Jeff spraying it other than the first time. So I didn't.

Guess what?? It stuck... again. And I had to clean it, AGAIN!

I sprayed it again and made an other waffle.

I had to make more batter because I had messed up so much. And they would cook as long as I remember to spray the waffle iron. But getting the off that thing was another story. They would fall apart when I took them off. In short it was a nightmare. I had thoughts that I would be sent to the show "Worst Cooks in America" for my lack of waffle making abilities.

I finally sat down and ate a waffle and some bacon. My side of eggs was scratched due to how long it took me to make waffles. It was a disaster and I declared when hubby came home, I am NEVER making waffles again. And my hubby laughed and smiled. I do appreciate his waffle making abilities.

GPS for baby lion?

2010-01-20T18:37:00.003-07:00

When we went on our trip to Disney we were prepared for the worst. We got safety tattoos for Mickey that had our phone number on them and we rented a GPS locator for Mickey. She loved her GPS and called her IPatch. Not sure exactly how she came up with the name but she did.

Every day Mickey and I go on the hunt to find baby lion. During these times I wonder how easy my life would be if he had a GPS on him. I then could go to my my computer and find him in the map of our house. I have spent countless hours looking for him or Jack and Jill or whatever stuffed animal has her affections that week. Then I think that maybe one of those key finders that you see on those tv infomercials where you clap your hands and it beeps for you to find your keys. Now this would be helpful in the middle of the night when Mickey has lost Baby Lion in her bed. Now just so you have a mental picture of Baby Lion he has next to no stuffing in him, has a color that would choke him if he could actually breathe and is often flat as a pancake. Now finding him when you are woken up from a dead sleep by a distraught 4 year old in a messy bed is often next to impossible. Not impossible because mom always finds it but it feels impossible.

Mickey participates in the search and hunt for the "Baby Lion" but it really isn't helpful. Her idea of looking is running into a room and turning her head here and there and declaring "I have looked everywhere and I can't find him". Then she comes to me and proclaims "I have lost him forever and ever." What ever shall she do?? I have her keep looking knowing that she will most likely not find it and I will have to find it but I don't let her give up. But I grow weary of looking. How much could I get done in a day if I could NOT look for the missing lion??? I will never know... and thankfully we have him for bedtime tonight. :)

Just found a picture of baby lion.... isn't he cute??

Baseball Anyone??

2010-01-19T17:09:00.002-07:00

On one of Daddy's business trips, Daddy picked up a princess baseball and bat. For awhile they would play inside the house. However, we have a small living room and well, things were in danger of being broken because Mickey was a pretty good hit.

So this past weekend, Mickey convinced her daddy that they should go play baseball. I have to say that I don't think that daddy needed to much convincing to go and play ball with his girl. I was going to take the opportunity to stay inside and take a nap. I then heard lots of laughter and giggles that the need to get up and get my camera overpowered the need to take a nap. I am so glad I did. It was fun to watch them play baseball.

It took Mickey a little bit to get the hang of it but once she learned to watch the ball she hit it. She has such a natural ability with sports. This so unlike her momma. I would most likely be closing my eyes and getting hit by the ball. But not my girl, she is intense and enjoying her time with her daddy.

And I have told you what a great teacher her daddy is? He is amazing. I am in awe when I hear him or watch him teach something new to this little girl. Mickey is a tricky one, because she has it in her head that she must get it perfect. So this will stop her from getting sometimes. But Jeff has a way of overcoming that and teaching her in a way that she gets it. This day he was teaching her how to hit the ball and later he taught her how to swing on a swing. Both were things that I could not do. (I can hit a baseball sometimes and I can swing, but can't teach it!). Mickey is getting the hang of both things, slowly. I am so thankful for his strengths and abilities when it comes to raising our daughter.

Momma & Mickey

2010-01-18T16:31:00.003-07:00

My mom brought a sweater from when I was a little girl. I was looking through pictures the other day and found a picture of me wearing it and I was about Mickey's age. So I took out the camera and put Mickey in the sweater and took a few pics. Thought I would share. Enjoy :)

Me

She wanted to look away from the camera like Momma

Hungry Hippos

2010-01-06T16:18:00.002-07:00

My mom came today and brought a game that my brother used to play when he was a kid, "Hungry Hungry Hippos". I have to say that this was a huge hit! Mickey had a blast. Although she renamed the game to "Hippo Fighter's".

Easel

2010-01-05T18:54:00.002-07:00

A present that we got for Mickey arrived today. Mickey was excited that 2 big boxes were delivered to our door even though she didn't know who it was for or what it was. She just likes to have packages.

I decided that after a bath and some time picking up the toys that she had out that we would open up the package. I knew who they were for and what was in them. :)

She was so excited once she saw the directions for her new easel!

I decided that we should go ahead and put it together. It didn't seem that difficult (and I love putting things like this together). I wasn't feeling the greatest the last couple of days have been draining and not real sure why. I figured that if I put forth the effort she would have something new and exciting to occupy the rest of her day. I wasn't wrong. :)

Drawing on the dry erase board

Painting and having a blast!

Proud of her masterpiece!

Arabian Nights

2010-01-05T12:55:00.003-07:00

Still trying to catch up on our vacation photos.

This night we went to "Arabian Nights", which was a dinner show. I loved it. It was sort of a step back in time sort of thing. We arrived early because Jeff had managed to get us a VIP pass. Which was great because we got to go into the arena early and "meet" the horses. Which if you know Mickey at all was a big deal.

This was our host

This picture makes me laugh because Mickey has her ears on from her day at Disney

Mickey was so excited to be able to sit on a horse.
She loved it! And didn't stop talking the whole time she was on the horse.

I just thought this one was a beauty

Now the next 3 pictures I am sharing not because I think that they are great pictures but because the guy makes me laugh. I think he thought I was taking pictures of him, not the horse or my child. I would snap in hopes that he wouldn't try to pose for the camera. :)

So after we were done meeting the horses we went to our seat and waited for our dinner. I really liked mine. Now it might be because I am pregnant and things just hit me different. But I LOVED the salad dressing. But I am getting sidetracked and somehow suddenly craving salad with the yummy salad dressing in my fridge.

Moving on....

Mickey was okay with the show UNTIL they turned off the lights and fog began entering the arena. That she did not like. She associated the fog with the scary Tiki Tiki room we had seen the night before. I have a feeling that we will have problems with fake fog for a while but thankfully we don't see it in our day to day life.

They did horse tricks and told a story about an Arabian princess waiting for her prince to come back from the war during Christmas time. I enjoyed myself and thankful for the experience.

Snow Days in the desert

2010-01-04T15:07:00.003-07:00

I don't remember having this much snow the whole time we have lived here (going on 5 years). So far we have had 3 snow days and I have to say that Mickey is delighted to have an opportunity to play in the snow. The first couple of times there was not much snow to talk about but the last time there was enough for her to have a good ol' time.

As you can tell from the first two we did not have a lot of snow but we made do.

The first time Daddy had to get the snow off the shed
and get enough snow to make little a little snowman.

She had to make a mommy, daddy and Mickey snowmen

Chasing Sierra with a snowball... she is having a blast!

Not sure that Sierra is having as much fun as Mickey

See much more snow that the first pictures.

all ready to go back inside and
drink some hot cocoa to warm up.

Mickey's New Dress

2010-01-04T09:42:00.003-07:00

Mickey got this pretty dress for Christmas. The funny thing is that Daddy had picked up the blue tights sometime in the fall and I saved them. So when we opened this gift from her Grammie we knew just what she would wear with it, her pretty blue tights.

She is looking so grown up. Is there a way to stop time???

Mickey ate a Tamale

2010-01-03T20:36:00.003-07:00

I can hardly believe it but my picky eater actually ate a Tamale the other day. When we made tamales with my family they made a few kid friendly ones. So we had some tamales for dinner and we gave Mickey a kid friendly version (which doesn't have chili in it) and we asked her to take one bite. She did and she enjoyed it.

She is becoming a little more willing to try new things, as long as they don't smell funny to her. Those smells will turn her off to the best food but because she is sensitive to smells there is just no getting her to come within 10 feet of the smell. If I have eaten something that she doesn't like the smell to there is often the request for me to "brush your teeth mommy". Oh what a girl.

So I am proud of my little girl as she tried and liked something far out of her comfort zone. :0)

Root Beer Floats

2009-12-31T22:15:00.002-07:00

New Year's Eve is also a time to have my favorite Root Beer Floats. It is a tradition that started with my mom and one that I can't bring in the New Year without a Root Beer Float. This is no exception.

As I think back on 2009, I see a year of new beginnings, adventures and of course growth. We had a great year and I was able to visit two new places for the first time. San Fransisco to see my brother receive his Ph.D. and to Florida to experience Disney through the eyes of my child. On both trips Jeff and I flew together. I find it kind of funny that we have been married all this time and this was the first year that we flew together. Our normal mode of transportation is driving. We have logged lots of hours driving but not this year.

Mickey has grown up a lot this year. She started the year unsure of being in a classroom by herself and ended the year being fully confident going to preschool all by herself. "All by herself" is also a theme in our house lately. She is so excited to do things all by herself and I am happy to see her accomplish things. I find myself looking at her and wondering just when did she grow up? Time seems to have gone by very quickly since she has been born. I have been blessed to be able to stay home with her and experience her life with her. I am thankful everyday, even those days when I am overwhelmed and tired that I get to be a Stay At Home Mom.

I am looking forward to see what 2010 brings us and meeting our new member of the family.

So Happy New Year!!! and hope you can enjoy a root beer float. ;)

Happy Anniversary

2009-12-30T12:15:00.004-07:00

Today, Jeff and I celebrate our 9th year of marriage.

It is hard to believe at times that I met him 16 1/2 years ago. I was going to Houston to work at the Baptist Mission Centers for the summer. He was already there and working at the mission centers. I was scared out of mind and wondering what in the world I was doing in Houston of all places. I had seen him and talked to him a little throughout the first week. I was so out of my comfort zone.

Then on that Saturday, I think it was, he came up to me and asked me "How old are you?" I said 19. He then said come with me. And out of that brief interaction we became friends. Romantic, huh??

We worked with both college and high school missionaries. He needed someone to go with him but wanted to make sure he asked someone who wasn't in high school. So I was there and I was the one who would go with him that day. Jeff is reading this and probably wondering how I remember such details. I don't know, I just do.

Anyway, so on we went to the pick up and we met a lonely lady who really wanted someone to talk to and we were it. He treated her so kindly and with such warmth. So much so she was ready to marry him off to her daughter. Jeff and I talked about our life on the way to and from her house, which is really how we became friends. We would spend the summer eating lunch or dinner together. We often would find ourselves mentoring the young high school kids. We built a friendship together by ministering with each other.

Then the summer ended.... and we went on our separate ways. I sent him a letter that never got to him and he well, never wrote. Then I returned the following summer much more aware of what I was getting into and was surprised to find my old friend there. Our friendship continued and grew deeper. I was dealing with the death of my grandfather which really disrupted my world. We found ourselves eating dinner with each other and our friendship grew.

Time came to say good-bye again. He volunteered to me to the airport and vowed to write this time. He did. Over the years I would I would get phone calls and letters and again our friendship grew.

I returned to Houston one last time and this time my friend was not there. But he surprised me on several occasions that he would drive up from where he was living at the time to see me. He was coming for different reasons but always made it a point to see me. He wanted to make sure I had a friend there that he introduced me to a friend of his.

Then I left Houston, again. We lost contact. Then out of the blue when I was at Seminary, he wrote me again. This time we had a new invention called email to use. What a lovely thing that was. We would write at least once a day. We would call. In short, our friendship deepened. Then by December we saw each other for the first time in years. Then in March we were engaged and by the next December we were married.

Who marries someone that they never dated??? I guess we do. We had a great friendship that we built and we knew that we loved each other and that we wanted to spend our lives together.

Our married life has continued our friendship. We have had some tough things that we had to walk through and thankfully we chose to walk through them together. Those tough times was not in our own relationship but outside circumstances. That if we had allowed them to could have hurt our relationship. But through our love for each other and because of our faith we have only grown stronger.

We have a beautiful child together and are expecting our second child. One thing that I love about my husband is that he is a wonderful daddy. The next thing that I love is that he is my biggest supporter and willing and wanting to back me up on any of my adventures. I only hope is that I give back to him as much as he has given me.

I am truly a blessed woman to have such a loving, caring man as my best friend and husband.

Love you Jeff

Sea World 2009

2009-12-29T14:06:00.002-07:00

I am slowly going through all the photos we took on our vacation. Here are some photos from our day at Sea World. We had a lot of fun. I have to say that the dolphins are still Mickey's favorite. Mickey will still tell me that she likes dolphins.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tamales

2009-12-27T20:49:00.004-07:00

My family has a great tradition of making tamales on the 23rd of December. It is a great time to get together and share in a lot of work with a yummy outcome. I enjoy my family and love it when I get the opportunity to join them.

Here are a few pictures to show you the process

Inspecting the Ojas (Corn Husks)

Mixing the Masa (it is a lot which is why he uses a drill)

He is washing the ojas

Masa is ready for spreading

Spreading the Masa

Tamales ready to be filled

The Red Chili that goes into the Tamales

Filling the tamales

Tamales

Putting Hot Water onto the tamales getting ready to cook them.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!!!

2009-12-27T19:54:00.002-07:00

My hubby does not like to make a big deal about his birthday. But I wanted to take the time to wish him a Happy Birthday. I am thankful for him and who he is to those that he loves in his life. He has been a friend to me for 16 1/2 years and I could not have found a better friend than him. He has been a wonderful husband and father. I am thankful for the opportunity that I have to be a part of his life. I love you, Jeff and I wish you a wonderful year full of blessings. Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Mickey!!

2009-12-25T20:30:00.003-07:00

My baby is now 4. I look at her sometimes and still see my sweet baby the day she was born. Other times I look at her and see how much she is growing and realize that she is not a baby anymore. She will often tell me that she is not my baby but Grammie's baby. Today she gave me the best Christmas gift, she said, "Momma, I'm your baby". I love my sweet girl.

P.S. I normally do a slideshow of her year in review, but it is going to come later due to technical difficulties with my computer. ;)

Poll Added

2009-12-22T10:59:00.002-07:00

A question that people have asked me after I tell them that I am pregnant is "Do you know what it is yet". I have had many conversations with various people who give me their take on what they think my baby is going to be. I have way more conversations due to my little girl telling EVERYONE that there is a baby in my tummy.

Mickey's guess is that it is a boy: Because she thinks all babies are born boys.

Random lady at Disney World says it is a boy: Because of the way I held out my hands when she asked to see them.

Jeff thinks it is a boy because this pregnancy has been soooo different and because he would like to another male in our household. He is the ONLY guy in the house, even our dogs are females. ;)

Ultrasound Lady : I had an early ultrasound and she told me "Children and Grandmother's always know.

Me: Well, I will let you know in a later post.

So tell me what your guess is. Make sure you post on the poll. I will let you know when I have my next ultrasound and if we have any results at that time.

Photos of Characters

2009-12-18T11:50:00.002-07:00

I am beginning to go through all the photos of our trip to Disney. I look back on the trip and know that we had a blast. Every day Mickey has a new favorite memory. Yesterday we took these pictures plus a few others and put them in a photo album for her. She was absolutely in love with it. She loves looking at photo albums so this was just great for her. So don't be surprised when you visit with Mickey that she will sit you down and share her experience with you. When you look at the video remember to look for the one with Mulan. Remember she had a break down right before we met her and she declared that she was her favorite princess. I don't think that it shows. Do you??

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Princess Mickey

2009-12-12T04:27:00.004-07:00

Today is the day we are on our way home and end our fantastic family vacation. Yesterday we got Mickey's hair done and she absolutely loved the experience. On our way back to the hotel last we had this interaction....

Mickey: "I feel so beautiful today"
Daddy & Momma: "That is because you are!"
Mickey: "Really, Yippee!!"

I need to share more of the experience but will wait until I get home and can get the pictures together to share them with you. I can't wait to share all about our experience, but let me leave you with the finished product. Here is my little girl in all of her beauty. I think that she is beautiful everyday but yesterday (and today because she slept with her hair up) she felt more like a princess than ever. :)

Oh and today she gets to go eat breakfast with the princesses before we go home. A great way to end the week.

Posing for Pictures

2009-12-09T18:00:00.005-07:00

One thing that I am learning is that Mickey does not pose well for photos. She is beautiful and photogenic but posing for pictures is not really her thing. She loves to interact with all the characters that she is meeting (well most of them) but posing for pictures well I think that at times she could do without. But this is Disney and her chance to pose with all the characters. So we are doing it. Though I think that sometimes her faces in these pictures make me laugh. At times we are too close to the bigger characters such as Goofy and her eyes are on them to make sure they don't get her. Other times she looks like she is not enjoying herself at all. Today she had a meltdown right before we met Mulan. Mulan asked her who her favorite princess was and Mickey's answer is "You are" in the most pathetic voice ever imagined. The picture looks like we are forcing her to meet her favorite princess.

I have to admit and it is probably one of the reasons why I hate having my picture taken is that I do not pose well for pictures. I have these weird faces that I am seeing because at times I am taking all these character pictures with Mickey because she needs me there to meet her characters. So I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree, now does it.

Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom

2009-12-09T05:23:00.003-07:00

We have been really busy on our vacation. I think the thing that I have liked the best is that we are all together, enjoying something new for the first time together. My little girl is on sensory overload experiencing so many new things, meeting new characters, and being a little terrified at times.

Terrified???

Yes, terrified. I have learned that we keep things pretty simple at my house. When we watch a movie, Momma will fast forward the scary parts. So life is always fun and simple. When you attend a live show at one of these parks, even of a movie that she knows ALL THE SONGS TO, you can't fast forward the show. And you can't get up and leave either. So even though the shows are larger than life they are not working for us. It is just too frightening for our little one. We went to a "movie" with Donald Duck which is 3D and that freaked her out! Poor Donald Duck when she met him yesterday (after the movie experience the day before) she was so out of sorts with the bird that she was afraid he was going to reach out and get her. She eventually warmed up to him when she realized he was a nice guy who was a forest ranger and and took care of the animals. And as a side note Mickey hid her eyes through most of the Lion King show and just wanted to leave. But this morning is singing all of the Lion King songs that she heard yesterday. Hmmm... what does a mom to do?

Let's see what did she love? LOTS! She liked the teacups, dumbo ride, It's a small world, the Safari adventure and the bird show. Oh and we can't forget meeting all the fun characters. Let me tell you sometimes she likes some more than others. Some of them can be pretty big which I think that can be overwhelming when you are the size of a little almost 4 year old.

Here are a few pictures that I can share before we get home.... Hope you enjoy!

SeaWorld

2009-12-07T06:55:00.003-07:00

We went to Sea World yesterday. It was a very good but exhausting day. As I write this Mickey has been asleep for 12 hours. This is unheard of but she gave it all yesterday. She watched the shows with awe and wonder. Amazing to see this through the eyes of my own child, I can say there is nothing better. When asked what her favorite part of the day was she immediately said the penguins. But I can tell you she liked the dolphins, Clyde and Seymore and watching Elmo celebrate Christmas also. She is at the perfect age to experience all of this.

I will post pictures once we get though the week and I have a chance to go through them. But I wanted to share some memorable quotes from my dear child.

At the dolphin show they also had birds and some people flying in the air. One of them was dressed up like a bird. Towards the end of the show Mickey leans over to me and tells me "Momma that isn't really a bird it is just a human dressed up." Good to know that was a human up there. ;)

Then last night when I was laying down with her while she was falling asleep. She tells me "Momma I want to meet Mickey Mouse and take a picture with him. I also want to go up on stage." My daughter is already dreaming about the ways she entertain the masses. Silly girl. So today we are off to take a picture with Mickey Mouse.

Florida

2009-12-06T06:39:00.002-07:00

We traveled all day yesterday to get to Florida. Mickey was so excited the night before that she woke up at 2:30 all ready to start her day. It was a long travel day but she did really well. I think that the excitement of going to Disney World was all that she needed to carry her through. She made quick friends at the airport while waiting for our airplane. I am so thankful for the lady who seemed to be having a great conversation with a certain four year who told her all her exciting news. Including that "her baby was in her momma's tummy". On our connecting flight she was just too excited to finish watching her Monkey George movie that she decided counting and blasting off was much more fun. I am sure her excitement was much more enjoyable than the screaming child in back of us. My heart went out to the parents who were doing everything they could to comfort that child who just didn't want to be in the air.

Today we are headed to Sea World. I am excited to see Mickey see the Okra's and Dolphins. She checked out a book at the library all about them and is able to pick them out and tell you all about them. So I am sure she is going to have a great day!

P.S. I am sorry if this post is all over the place. I just woke up and wanted to get down my memories of yesterday before I forgot them. I am not a morning person though and my brain tends to have lots of randomness in the morning. ;)

Snow Day

2009-12-01T09:21:00.002-07:00

I woke up this morning to shrieks and shrills of my daughter saying "It's snowing momma!" We waited all day yesterday for it to snow and it didn't snow. So first thing my daughter did this morning is go and open up the blinds and looked out the window (something she does on a regular basis). She saw snow falling. She was soooo excited. We went out and saw the little bit of snow that was in the garden. I am not sure if it can really be called snow but it was good enough for my daughter so I am calling it snow. :) She ran through the backyard singing "I love snow, I love snow" Then this little one had to take off her gloves so that she could touch it. Oh boy was it cold. To end the cold morning we came in and momma made some hot cocoa. It was a good morning even if she didn't get to experience making a snow man. Someday we will be in area where she will be able to do that, but for now she throughly loved and enjoyed her experience.

Big Announcement

2009-11-25T18:53:00.003-07:00

I have not been posting to much on my blog here. I have a good reason, I promise. But first I want you to check out Mickey's new t-shirt. She loves her yellow t-shirt.

Yes, Mickey is going to be a Big Sister come late May. Mickey has been wanting a baby brother or sister and has been telling people that she was getting one long before I was actually pregnant. Somehow little ones know things that us adults don't know.

I have been struggling with lots of nausea and exhaustion. But thankfully through some nice drugs I am feeling better. It is nice to be able to eat, take a shower without the fear of throwing up.

We are all excited around here. And I promise that I will be posting more regular updates now that my big secret is out.

Holiday's in Hand

2009-11-02T16:49:00.003-07:00

I have taken some photo editing classes from Jessica Sprague at JessicaSprague.com. I have learned so much and I am forever grateful to the skills I have learned from her classes. I just got my first ever scrapbook and I love it and can't wait to do another one. Through her guided lessons I was able to get over my fear and was able to accomplish something that has scared me for so long!

She is offering a class Holiday's in Hand. This is a free class. It is about documenting our holiday traditions. I think that you may need photoshop or photoshop elements but you can download a free trial if you would like to check out the class. Starts on November 16th and the Code is: HIHFREE2009. And don't feel pressure about finding the time, her classes are set up so that you do it when it works for you. And you get access to the information long after the class is over so if you forget something you can go and refresh your memory! Which I love and appreciate.

If you join the class let me know!

Fall Festival

2009-11-02T09:36:00.003-07:00

I wasn't sure how Mickey would do at the whole dress up thing. Last year she would have nothing to do with it but this year she LOVED it. We also watched a couple of her kid shows that showed her how people like to dress up and pretend. And she was all for it. Jeff was able to make it to the Fall Festival. He had knee surgery on Wednesday and walking is not the easiest things to do. I know that it was difficult for him to get up and walk the parking lot of the festival but I think that he was happy to have those memories of Mickey.

10 months

1 years 10 months

2 years 10 months
(notice the Cinderella costume in the background)

3 years 10 months
A Fairy Princess Costume

Pumpkin

2009-10-24T21:16:00.001-06:00

We were able to pick our own pumpkin and Mickey set to task to painting them. She had a blast and was very proud to show them off!

Dancing for Parents

2009-10-24T09:02:00.004-06:00

In Mickey's last dance class the parents were invited to come in and watch our little ones show off their moves. I do believe that they were a little distracted having parents in the room that they showed off a bit. You can tell that Mickey is enjoying life as a dancer.

Owie

2009-10-23T20:50:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Mickey was playing with O and D and she fell on the ground and got a bad owie. She did quite well and held it together. Thankfully, Ms. S gave her some Tic Tac's that kept her mind off the pain. This was until we got to the truck where she had a meltdown. She babied that arm all afternoon and during the night she woke up a few times complaining of it hurting. When it came time to go to dance class she was not real sure that she wanted to go however, through the help of her daddy (many miles away) we took care of the pain. She wanted me to take a picture of her owie, I am not sure as to why but I did... so why not share it with you.

Corn Maze 2009

2009-10-22T15:11:00.002-06:00

Every year we make our to the Corn Maze, even though we don't actually go through the maze. We have lots of fun. It is so much fun to see how Mickey changes through the years and how it becomes such a new and exciting experience every year. This year she was still in love with the slides but was going down by herself. She was also running this way and that. She had a load of fun! You can see the difference from last year's here.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

7 Days in a Week

2009-10-09T16:33:00.003-06:00

So all day long my child has been singing these words to "Oh My Darlin', Clementine".

Monday, Monday
Tuesday, Wednesday
Friday, Saturday

There are 7 days, there are 7 days,
there are 7 days in a week.

Now granted I see that she is somehow missing Sunday and Thursday in her rendition but she has the rest of them. And when we say the days of the week together and then sing the song she gets it right. I have a feeling what song I will be singing when I try to get to sleep tonight. I am always amazed how these little songs get stuck in my brain preventing some sleep for momma. :o)

Another song that is widely heard in our in house is "circle of life" from the Lion King. We never get pass the first couple of lines and these it how it goes in our house. And picture it being sung at the top of her lungs!

Awenya, aaaaa, awenya,
this is the wife

Sandy's a Good Licker

2009-10-08T15:37:00.003-06:00

So on the way home from preschool today, Mickey informed me that another child hurt her leg. I am not so sure that this actually happened but she was sure that her leg was hurt. I asked her if I could take a look at it when we got home. I was told no, Sandy will take care of it. In case you don't know, Sandy is our white lab/rottweiler. Mickey told me that Sandy was a good licker and would take care of her leg.

I was able to check out her leg before Sandy got to it and saw nothing that could be wrong. As soon as we got in the house and the dogs in the house, Mickey took off her pants. Then went to Sandy and told Sandy to lick her leg because it hurt. Then Mickey curled up with her buddies. About 10 minutes later Mickey declared that Sandy helped her and now she could run and play and all better.

So next time your leg is hurting you can also come to Sandy and let her take care of you. You know she is a good licker and all. ;)

Another share

2009-10-08T11:30:00.001-06:00

Love her smile here enjoying feeding the goats. Her favorite animals!

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-10-03T20:14:00.003-06:00

I am not known for my cooking abilities. When I was growing up I didn't have much of an interest in cooking. Mainly because I didn't have to because my mom was a great cook. My brother got the cooking gene and somehow it managed to pass me by. I was known for burning water. The reality was in high school when I was burning water it was usually because I had other interests, finishing the chapter to whatever book I was reading at the time was usually more important. Also there was my mom who taught me things in the kitchen. I was supposed to be in the kitchen to help mostly with grating cheese or other task that my mom was not thrilled to do. She had a certain way of doing things and if it wasn't completed until she said it was. So I didn't take risks in the kitchen.

Fast forward to when I got married. I had by that time learned not to burn the water and could accomplish some meals on my own and if I do say so myself they tasted pretty good. ;) But I still had failures in the kitchen. The one that will always hold a vivid picture in my mind is what I fondly call my "chicken pot cake". I followed the recipe on the back of Bisquick box but somehow I missed it up and instead of having a good chicken pot pie I ended up with a cake type thing. NOT GOOD. But my husband (of only a few months) ate it because he was hungry. Never made me feel bad about the disaster and today we have a chuckle about it.

One of the things that Jeff and I enjoy doing together is cooking. I find new recipes and we try them out. They can't be too complicated but we are willing to try something new. We make a good team in the kitchen and I enjoy having them there. So we cook as a family because you know that Mickey is not to be left out of time in the kitchen. She loves to help out and she even has jobs that she can do all on her own and she LOVES it.

Today, I took a risk. It was a rainy day and it was a day that was calling for something hearty. I thought of the things that I know how to make but I wanted chicken pot pie. I have seen my mom make it once. I had a recipe somewhere or other for a skillet pot pie that you don't bake, but I couldn't find it. Oh, did I tell you I cook nothing unless I have a recipe (except for those few things that I learned from my mom). So we went to the store and got the stuff that was needed to make chicken pot pie and came home. I ventured into the kitchen and got to work. I put it in the oven and waited for it to cook. It was then that I told Jeff that I was winging it.

We took it out of the oven and it looked and smelled so good. But I was relieved until I took a bite and realized that I cooked something from scratch that I didn't have a recipe for and that I winged it. I have truly learned something in the kitchen and it made my day. The best part is that I have leftovers for tomorrow and it looks like it will be another rainy day, PERFECT!

Pony Ride

2009-10-02T20:59:00.002-06:00

When I told you about the fair I neglected to tell you about the pony ride. Mickey loves horses, ponies and well just about any animal. Last year when we went to the fair, Mickey wanted to ride a pony but was a little cautious and had to work up her courage to actually get on the pony. Since then she has gone for a ride on "Camy the horse", our friend's Sharon's horse. And also the name of her stick horse that she goes riding on frequently at the house.

This year well she has had a couple of horse/pony rides under her belt and there was no caution. She saw the pony and knew that she was going to ride. She did quite well. The first ride she started off by herself and then needed her daddy to walk beside her. But the second time when it was just momma and Mickey, she went on her own and was waving proudly by the end. I think that she wants to be a cowgirl.

See is jumping for joy and pure excitement.
Nothing can be that!

Fair Day

2009-09-30T21:15:00.002-06:00

Today we made our annual visit to the fair. And we had a great day. We had two highlights today. The first was the petting zoo. Mickey got to feed the animals and love on them. Her favorites were definitely the baby goats. The black one is Spot and the brown one is Stanley. I think that we could have spent hours loving on the goats.

The second highlight of the day were the Bengal Tigers. These were magnificent creatures and it was a blessing to be able to see these animals. Mickey even came home with a baby Tiger of her own. She is asleep with it now.

Happy Birthday Grammie

2009-09-25T20:45:00.005-06:00

Today we celebrated Grammie Syl's birthday. Mickey was so excited that she woke up extra early (5 am). The beginning of the day was a little rough due to the lack of sleep. But as the day went on it was better. Mickey gave her grammie a card that she made and decorated herself (at 6:30 am). Then later on we made a cake. It was yummy! It was a vanilla cake with whipped cream frosting mixed with pineapple with a garnish of strawberries on top. Mickey loved it and so did Grammie Syl.

Working on the first layer

Decorating with strawberries

Inspecting her work

The finish product

Helping Grammie Syl Blow candles

Like these shots

2009-09-21T21:30:00.004-06:00

I got a couple of scenic shots that I liked, so I thought I share with you.

Day at the Lake

2009-09-20T22:01:00.003-06:00

Sometimes pictures can tell the story better than any words. We had a great day spending time as a family!

Let's go on a boat!

2009-09-19T21:48:00.002-06:00

This morning my beautiful girl woke me up at 6 am because Daddy told her last night that we were going for a boat ride. My girl was up and ready to go before the sun was even up. Have I told you I am NOT a morning person?

How could anyone be upset with this excited little girl for wanting to go on a boat?? I am just tired but happy to report that we had a great day. I will share more pictures soon but wanted to share a quick story before I went to sleep.

Mickey had hiccups on our way home. Apparently they were bugging her. All of a sudden we hear this roar coming from the back seat. Jeff and I just looked at each other and thought she was just having a good time. This is when she gladly announced that "Sparky scared my hiccups away!". Very imaginative little girl. The amazing thing is that they went away. Thanks to that fast acting Sparky. :)

My Dancer

2009-09-12T09:01:00.000-06:00

She is really enjoying herself.

Dance Class

2009-09-04T21:02:00.003-06:00

So Mickey is in her 3rd week of dance class. She is loving it! She calls her shoes "Tap tap" shoes. I took a few snappies today that I thought I share with you.

all ready to go in

warming up
(Side story... she is supposed to put her head to her knee.
But she got it confused so she brought her knee to her nose. Same thing, right?)

heel to toe

What is your music profile??

2009-09-04T06:07:00.000-06:00

I went to this website, Signal Patterns to take a quiz to see what my music profile was. I did it twice to see if it came up with the same thing. This was not a genre question but rather a personality question. I thought it was insightful.

My profile was Sad, Relaxing, Inspiring and Intelligent.

Sad: You like music that makes you feel wistful, sorrowful or melancholy.

Relaxing: You like music that calms you down and puts you at ease.

Inspiring: You're indifferent to music that's uplifting, stimulating and makes you feel good to be alive. (not sure I understand their definition, but I definitely like inspiring songs)

Intelligent: You're indifferent to music that's articulate, literate, worldly and wise. (huh??)

So take the quiz and see what you think. You will need to register after it is done but I think it is worth it. :)

Here is my profile

What would you have done??

2009-09-03T18:54:00.004-06:00

I just read this article "Man Slaps Stranger's Kid in Wal-mart". Read the article and if you are a parent (especially a parent of a small child) you will be outraged. I know that I have been in Wal-Mart when Mickey was having a melt-down. I assure you that I am not ignoring my child and I am trying to get things done as quickly as possible so I can get home and out of the store. I can't imagine some random guy coming over and slapping my child because my child is having a melt-down. What would you have done?

I am a MOMMA BEAR. I know this and I know that that momma bear comes out the instant that I know that my child has been harmed, in danger, treated poorly in any way. I hope that I would have remained in control but think that they would have had to take that guy to the hospital before they took him to jail. I was also appalled that some of the comments to this article were defending this man because parents are not handling their children.

I have been the mom that has been in the middle of shopping and left because it just wasn't working. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband that will grocery shop for me if I can't do it. I have also been the mom when I am in line after a long trip and my child is having a melt down and I know that I need to just get through the line so we can all go home.

I can't think of a time when this was happening that I wasn't overwhelmed and stressed out because I know that my child is getting on other people's nerves. Trust me I don't want my child screaming through Wal-Mart. I just don't always get my wish. I do things to prevent it but you can't prevent every bad moment in your child's life.

I just can't believe that man!

My beautiful girl

2009-09-01T17:14:00.005-06:00

Mickey is loving her new dancing outfits and I am enjoying taking pictures of her. On this shot I asked her to pray and she did. Doesn't she look just precious??

I decided to play with it a bit. Still rusty but think that I am going to like adding fairy wings to pictures. :)

background from fantasy woman

Fluff

2009-08-21T15:57:00.002-06:00

So today I gave my little girl a bath. She always loves a bath but ALWAYS resists. After she hears the explanation that she is stinky she is willing and excited to get into the bath.

Today she enjoyed her bath BUT started fussing because her fluff was gone. Fluff what fluff?? After some time explaining it was the fluff in her hair that was now gone because I washed it. How dare I? After explaining that all her hair needed was to get the fluff in her hair back was to dry it she was happy. Silly girl.

Today we started tap dance/tumble class. She LOVED it. Bad mommy moment was when I showed up to the class without tap shoes for my little girl. I had a disappointed little girl on my hands. However, I did call the gym on Monday and asked for instructions on what she should wear. What I was told... shorts and t-shirt. Was there any other girl in there in shorts and t-shirt?? NOPE. They all had their leotard (Ballerina) outfit on. So today I bought tap shoes and a leotard outfit for this little girl. Oh my. I have such a girly girl on my hands. So right now because she missed wearing said shoes and outfit to class I have my little girl in her tap shoes and leotard, waiting paitiently for class again NEXT FRIDAY. But I am not reasoning with a 3 1/2 year old. One because you can't reason with a 3 1/2 year old and two because she is exhausted from her week so we are just leaving her in her clothes for now. ;) Oh and no pictures yet because of how tired she is.

Day Two

2009-08-20T21:30:00.002-06:00

So drop off for day two was a little more traumatic than day one. She was excited up to the point of entering the room, which is only to be expected. Thankfully her friend Nicholas came up to greet her and encouraged her along the way. Two minutes passed and she was settled in and having a good time. I think that she is enjoying herself.

I think that I am hanging in there. It was nice to clean today without the "extra help". You know the kind of help that you need to go back and clean up several times before it actually stays put away. And the afternoon was much better than Tuesday. This girl was enjoying her independence so much that we actually went to bed early skipping much of the routine because she was just too tired. Today I had to remind her that this new attitude was not going to work and she quickly changed it. Momma was more rested today which helped matters greatly. So all in all I think that this was a good decision for us all. Although I have to say I miss my little girl and hope that she is enjoying the time to "visit with her friends" as she tells me.

First Day of Preschool

2009-08-18T21:09:00.003-06:00

Mickey had her first day of preschool today and I must say that she loved it. Being the social butterfly that she is went right into class without a nod to where her momma was. I headed over there to give her a kiss and say goodbye and well she barely looked at me. She did say that she loved me.

She had two of her buddies in there with her. So that was good although with her need for interaction I don't know if it mattered much.

I left her there and headed off to eat breakfast with a friend, Sarah. That was fun and a good transition into the whole preschool thing for me. Sarah was and is a lifesaver! It was nice to be able to talk and have no kiddos interrupting or be distracted with what one of our kiddos was doing.

I came home and did a couple of things and then went to the store for a backpack for this little one. One that she loved when she saw it waiting for her in the car.

I went to pick her up from preschool and got there to hear Ms. Kathy read a story and to listen to the kiddos sing their new song. Mickey was thrilled and seemed to have a good time. Tomorrow I will share with you about the afternoon after preschool. ;)

(Mickey is standing in line with a bubble mouth to be quiet.
A new thing she learned in preschool)

Self Portrait

2009-08-14T16:57:00.003-06:00

Mickey and I were practicing with my new toy the remote for the camera. We actually got a picture that we like. So I thought I share.

New Background

2009-08-14T14:07:00.002-06:00

I have been taking a class on line to help me learn more about photoshop. I am loving it!! So I thought I would change the background on my blog with my own creation and of course sort of update my header. Fun. :)

Would you do me a favor and let me know if the side columns are readable on your computer and if you are able to see the whole thing on your computer screen without having to move it. Thank you so much! It helps my learning process!

Preschool Open House

2009-08-14T12:16:00.002-06:00

Today was the open house for preschool. I have been flip flopping on this whole idea all summer, rather for the last year. I think and believe that she would thrive on the environment being the extrovert that she is. While I the other hand I just didn't want to start the whole school thing so early. Jeff is also gone a lot on road trips for work and so that means just me all day long and quite frankly some days are better than other days. So on Monday I took the application down to the preschool and signed Mickey up for two days after having a talk with a teacher how it would be better for her if she had a regular routine. Am I ready for this? I know that Mickey will do fine but I ask again, "Am I ready for this??"

So today we went to the open house. Everyday she has been waking up asking if today she started preschool? Everyday I tell her not today. She was excited up until we are inside the class. Which by the way is her Sunday School class a place where she is familiar and comfortable. Well she wasn't so excited to be there. She stayed at the coat hangers and just hid. Did not want the teacher to talk to her. The pit in my stomach was getting deeper and deeper.

Then the lead teacher Ms. Kathy showed her the project we had for today. Making a turtle place mat. Ms. Kathy took out scissors and guess what?! Mickey eyed those scissors and immediately came to the table. From that point on she was ready to be in class (even though we were just there to check things out). Her friend Olivia was there and also her friend Nicholas was there. She was excited. She made herself at home and played with the toys in the class. Then she comes up to me and says I can leave that she play by herself and I can come back for her.

This is a good sign but still don't know if I am ready for her to be in preschool. Am I ready? NO. But ready or not Tuesday is coming!!!

Mickey's Thought Process

2009-08-13T22:10:00.002-06:00

So Grammie Syl is off helping Uncle Dave move from one city to another. She left her car here since our house is on the way to the airport. We parked her car across the street at our neighbor's house because no one is living there for the time being. We just found out that new renters will be moving this weekend. I hope that they are nice. But I digress.

I go across the street to move the car to our house. Mickey comes with me so I buckle her in the backseat as I move the car. She gets in and has this running dialogue.

"I like this new car! I like this seat it is perfect for me. Wow it is clean. Our new car is clean momma."

As she is getting out of the car she says "My new car looks just like Grammie Syl's".

Do I tell her that this new car IS Grammie Syl's? Which will lead to where is she?

I just let her have the running dialogue in hopes that she will not put two and two together?? And did you hear the "This car is clean???" UGH. The truck isn't that messy inside but it does have some random papers and random odds and ends from having a preschooler in the truck all the time. But my mom's car is spotless. I bet you can eat your dinner of the seats. Not that my mom would let you but you could. Thankfully my mom is coming back on Saturday and hopefully Mickey will go on adoring the "new car" for a day and then be so happy to see Grammie Syl that she forgets that this is not Mickey's new car afterall?? No, I agree, I won't be that lucky. :)

Such a girl

2009-08-12T13:39:00.002-06:00

Mickey is such a girl. Yesterday she needed to change clothes... why?? because it was time, no other reason that she felt an outfit change was in order. She went into her room opened up her drawer and took out EVERY piece of clothing and brought them in a heap to the living room. She then put her own outfit together (minus pants). I can't wait until the teen years. ;)

Faces of Mickey

2009-08-08T22:01:00.003-06:00

Mickey has a love/hate relationship with the camera. Most of the time it is a love relationship. But other times well she takes it as an opportunity to be goofy. I let her and this time I got a funny face or two that she has been experimenting with lately.

Silly

Sweet (although fake smile)

Life

2009-08-05T21:30:00.002-06:00

This weekend we went to my mom's because Uncle Dave was in town. Mickey did not have to do much convincing to get her Uncle Dave to have a play session with her. I got this capture. What I find neat about this shot is that the TV is on in the background and it says "Life" on it. I think that both Mickey and Uncle Dave would both say that this is the life to spend time with loved ones playing!

Sleeping Beauty

2009-07-30T21:43:00.002-06:00

One of the greatest joys is to watch your baby sleep, or at least that has been one of mine. Since Mickey was just a few days old she loved to sleep with her arms raised up. We thought it was cute then and find it cute now when we see her sleeping like this now at the ripe old age of 3 1/2. :o) Jeff was able to get a shot of our little sleeping beauty this morning that reminded us of those few precious days when she was our newborn.

Ice Cream

2009-07-29T22:32:00.003-06:00

On Sunday we headed out to an ice cream social. When we headed out to this event we had assumed that we were going to taste some homemade ice cream and enjoy some kid fun. We also assumed that we would be inside since it is currently over 100 degrees in our neck of the woods. We assumed wrong....

We get to the social event and learn that we can try out hand at making ice cream in a tin can. Great! This sounds like fun. Mickey was very curious and attentive at watching the ingredients go into the tin can. We go outside and roll our tin can for 25 minutes. What we got was more of a ice cream slush. I think that the 105 degree day was not helping in our quest for ice cream. We did find out that they were serving ice cream inside but everytime we went indoors it was gone. We did manage to get a ice cream sandwich. But not really want we had in mind. I am glad that we had the experience at making our ice the old fashioned way, but think that when we see this event listed next summer we will just go out for some ice cream instead. ;)

Momma's Little Helper

2009-07-28T10:49:00.002-06:00

We have been eating a lot of corn this summer. I have found that Mickey loves to help get the corn ready. She loves to be in the kitchen and helping. The only thing that I have to watch for is that she doesn't take a bite of every cob of corn that she helps gets ready.

JK Wedding Entrance

2009-07-24T13:38:00.002-06:00

On of my friends posted this link on their facebook page. I have no idea who these people are but I loved their creative entrance before they got married. This really set the tone for a celebration which weddings are supposed to be. Although I don't think that I could have pulled off doing something like this I enjoyed it. :)

What is that??

2009-07-21T21:24:00.004-06:00

I don't know if I shared that at the beginning of my gardening experience this summer I wasn't very successful. Things just were not going the way that I wanted or needed them to go. I would go and I would see some of those plants dying. And those seeds that I planted?? No where to be seen. It was a rough start.

So after I finally being successful in our venture as gardener. I noticed a plant coming up. At first I thought that they were radishes. Then after awhile I realized that no those can't be radishes. It became a guessing game, especially since I had long since forgotten what I had attempted to plant and where I made the attempt. Embarrassing as I hide my head in shame.

So then the game began as we made guesses on what this plant could possibly be. We started guessing anything that we knew that would grow on a vine. Our guess was cantaloupe. Then on Saturday we found out what we were growing. Cucumber. At that point I remember planting them.

Tonight I cut up our cucumber and put it on Mickey's plate. She said it was slimy and she turned her nose up at it. I left it on her plate and she ate it all up. Never changing her opinion openly about it.

My Flower Princess

2009-07-18T12:25:00.003-06:00

I am not that handy when it comes to sewing. It was one of those things that I took for granted that my mom did well and I never learned from her. A few years back I invested in a sewing machine in hopes that I would be able to make my child's clothes (a few for me) like my mom did. This was a few years before I was even pregnant with Mickey. I quickly realized that sewing is hard at least for someone who is mostly self taught. So I take my sewing machine out every once in awhile thinking that I can do something.

Back in April, Mickey and I went into Hobby Lobby. She saw a dress that was hanging to get mother's to make such a dress for their child. My child fell in love with the dress. I wasn't convinced and so left the store without the dress or the materials to make it. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when we again went into Hobby Lobby and the same dress is still hanging up. My daughter is still in love with this dress. So I decided to go outside of my comfort zone and buy the materials to make this dress. Thinking that i have the skills to do this.

I have been putting off making the dress because deep down I know that it will be an adventure. Yesterday, Mickey woke up asking to make this dress. So I decided that I needed to go ahead and attempt it. I have never seen this girl so patient. She was right there as I cut out the pattern and the fabric. She "helped" me put the dress together. When she went to bed last night I was stuck. I just didn't know how to finish this dress. But I took a break and let my brain work it out. I went back and finished the dress.

My little girl woke up this morning asking about the dress. I told her that I had finished it. She was so excited. She gushed and was very dramatic in her love for her dress. She immediately put it on and declared herself a flower princess. I am thankful that I persevered and completed the dress. The glimmer in her eyes and impromptu hug was all the thanks that I needed and to know that it was all worth it.