Where do they go????

Where do they days and the weeks go? Time is flying past me in record time! I hardly blink and the day is gone already and then *poof* there goes the week! I told Ty yesterday afternoon that I could hardly believe that it was 5pm already, because it seemed like it was just 5am and I was rising for the day. It seemed impossible that twelve hours had passed, but they had. Busy days. Full life. I love it!

Ellie turned 11 months old this week. Just a short 4 week countdown until her first birthday. That is hard for me to believe! Talk about time flying! I've been looking through her pictures from this year and marveling at how she has grown and changed, and also feeling a little melancholy about how quickly the time has passed us by. There most certainly are times when I long for those early days of her newbie-ness back. :) Just snuggling her on my chest and breathing in the sweet, sweet smell of her skin. Mmmmmm. I remember it so well right now! But I guess that with that stage came waking several times a night to feed her, which meant exhaustion for me. I don't miss that part much! LOL!

All that is certainly not to say that I don't completely adore the stage she is at right now. I absolutely do! In fact, I've always said that I think I love each new stage more than the previous one, and that still rings true now. She is such a doll! She is crawling like a pro now...sometimes faster than lightning...and beginning to learn to pull up on things, although she can only get to her knees right now. She will stand if we place her next to something, but cries when she's ready to get down and can't figure out how to accomplish the feat! :) She is babbling continuously too, which I just can't get enough of and she will hold entire conversations with you if you are a willing participant. And while I haven't officially tacked down her first word because she doesn't always say them in context, she says mama, dada and uh-oh now. But like I said, they are not usually in context or directed at the correct person.

I so often marvel at how different Luke and Ellie are at similar stages. Because of Luke's preemieness, he didn't do things 'by the book'...it was always later or earlier (as with crawling) or in some other fashion that didn't quite match up to what other kids were doing. He did everything he was 'supposed to' (and of-course we all know he turned out just fine!) but it was rarely in the normal sequence. But Ellie is by the book, to the letter it seems. And I find that I really LOVE that! Luke hardly babbled and didn't enjoy the conversing side of learning to speak (funny now that he won't be quiet! LOL!) . He learned to crawl sooner than Ellie, but took a long time to progress to the next stage. Feeding times for him were such a challenge, as was getting to him to sleep, but Ellie is a breeze! She still has not met a food she didn't like (she is up to 20 lbs, btw!!) and when I lay her in her crib for sleep, she snuggles into her bright pink Snuggie and goes right to sleep....13 hours at night, 1-2 hours in the morning and 2-3 hours in the afternoon! Praise God!! A great sleeper AND a great eater! How did I make out so well???!! God just must've known that those were the two things that caused me the most anxiety and stress with Luke and that the second time around would be the biggest blessing to have go smoothly! Thank you, Lord!!!

I just have to tell you as I close this post, that I LOVE MY KIDS! (Like you didn't know that!) This week, for whatever reason, has just been such a nice one with them and I feel so incredibly fortunate to be their mommy and to be home with them! There really is no place that I would rather be!!! How privileged I am to watch as they pass through each and every stage....to be with them so often that I cannot notice how they grow until I look back through the images of them...to be the one(s) to mold their little spirits and hearts into loving, well-rounded individuals. What could be more precious than that? My heart sings with delight at them this morning!

Teehehehe...and as I typed those very words, I giggle as the next thought is "Now let's just hope that I feel that way at the end of the weekend when Ty gets back!" LOL! He will be out of town this weekend, so I will be flying solo for the next few days. I'll have to let you know if my delight is still so vibrant come Sunday afternoon! LOL! Have a great weekend, friends!

Night cap....

My little play on words. I'm not having a traditional night cap tonight. No. Just lying here in bed, with Ty's laptop gracing my.....well...lap and doing a little recap of the week. And it's night time. Hence night cap. Yes...I'm in a strange mood tonight, if you couldn't tell! :) LOL!

Anyway, for the first time in a long time, I'm so thankful that it is Friday and the week is over! It's been one of 'those' weeks for me. Interestingly enough, nothing negative really happened to make it a rough week. Just the day to day, normal things. But for one reason or another, I feel completely drained and in need of a break today. I teased tonight that sometimes I feel like I'm living in the movie Groundhogs Day...where each day is so very much like the last and things are so entirely predictable that you have to wonder if someone didn't just push the repeat button on life. Ever have days like that? When you can predict the precise moment your child will wake up or melt down or the words that will come from someones lips or exactly how your day will go...down to the minute? That was my week. Predictable almost to the point of irritation. Not that predictability is bad...in fact, a few of you readers out there would argue that some predictability in life right now would be a huge blessing. And I keep that in perspective as I write. But tonight, I just need a break from the monotony. I'm slightly underwhelmed at the moment.

Annnnyyyyyway.....my intentions tonight are not to bemoan my mediocrity right now. I actually wanted to tell you about something wonderful that happened this week. On Tuesday, I was fortunate to be able to spend a morning at the park with Sarah, Hudson and Angel. Angel's labs were looking a tad bit better this week (at-least his immunity was up) so Sarah was finally able to end their 2 month long seclusion and take the boys out a bit. Luke, Ellie and I were delighted to be their first little outing! :) We met at the park and played for some time in the early part of the morning before it got too blazing hot! The boys had a BLAST and I must say that it did my heart wonders to be able to spend some time with them! Especially after our 4th of July got jazzed up with the whole strep throat thing! With Angel's health so precarious right now, I just needed to see him...to spend some time playing with him and making a precious memory for myself. And in the same way, I needed to see Sarah too. Her recent weeks have been such a roller coaster and because she is my close friend, I feel like I have been riding those bumps and turns along with her. As I write those words, I have to snicker at myself for feeling 'underwhelmed' tonight. Seems like such a contradiction to the crazy feelings of just a week ago! Silly. How quickly feelings change, eh? Regardless of my fleeting emotions tonight, I was and am so grateful to have spent some time with them! Here are a few cute pics I took after all their running and playing.


Look at those rosey cheeks!!!



And I love these two.....look how grown up they look together!!!!



Can't you just see them in ten years time....teenagers and still friends? I can. Love that thought!
And by the looks of him, one wouldn't know how dangerously ill Angel has been! He has such a fighting, vibrant spirit! He was finally listed for organ transplant last week, with an urgent but not as emergent status as they originally thought. There are daily up's and downs, and the entire situation is still immesely precarious, but for now... for this week at-least, they were all able to live a little! Praises for that!

I am slowly but surely sliding into the abyss of sleep as I type, so it is time for me to go. Sorry for the somewhat disjointed, randomness of this post. Such a strange mood tonight. And it's not even a full moon! :) LOL! Night, friends!

The little things.....

I'm learning that it is the little, seemingly insignificant things in my daily life that mean the most to me these days. The unexpected "I love you" from my son's lips, the sweet giggles of my children as they play together, the caress of Ellie's hand on my cheek as rock her, the hug of a friend. Those little moments, as fleeting as they are, are priceless to me. It is in these moments where God continually whispers His love into my heart. I am sustained by these moments. Especially when the hustle and bustle of busy days consume the quiet times. These moments are mini-vacations of the mind. Time stands still for the briefest of moments.

This morning, after an early walk, I was again out in the backyard inspecting the plants. It's serene out there this time of the morning. The cool, crisp morning air...the stillness. I love it! And as I went over to take in the delightful, sweet aroma of my blooming roses, Ellie's rose bush again took center stage. Remember how it was budding leaves a few weeks ago? Her first rose is now opening among the few tender leaves. This is still so crazy to me. And it may seem crazy to you that I make such a big deal over it, but is holds much significance for me---more in the lessons it is teaching me than anything else. It echoes God's desire to delight me. Its almost as if He put that rose there just for me. A little gift from him to show me he loves me. I don't know if you any of you have ever read Stasi Eldredge's book Captivating (she is the wife of John Eldredge who wrote Wild at Heart,). Its a fantastic book...highly recommended...and it speaks often of these things. The back of the book reads,

"Every woman was once a little girl. And every little girl
holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a
romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the Beauty of
the story. Those desires are far more than child's play. They are the secret to
the feminine heart. The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more
than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the
longings you still feel as a woman--they are telling you of the life God has
created for you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to
rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A
woman who is truly captivating."

In part of the story, the author talks about how, one day, her husband spent a morning on the beach talking to God and praying, and as he gazed out into the ocean, the huge form of a whale caught his eye. As he watched it, he was certain that God had sent that whale to him that morning, just for his sheer pleasure....just to delight his soul. Stasi, the author, then spoke about how she wanted such an experience with God. She wanted such a gift, and she prayed one day, that God would send her a whale. Literally. She went out to the beach, praying and talking with God and she asked him for a whale! :) But no whale came. She felt disappointed and wondered why God would not give her such gifts like he gave to her husband. Some time later that same morning I believe, as she walked along the shore, she happened upon a starfish in the sand. She thought it was beautiful and thanked God for the simply pleasure of seeing it. She knew it was not every day that one sees a starfish on the sand like that. But in her heart, it still was no whale! She wanted something grand....something amazing! (Oh, how we are all this way, aren't we? Wanting ever more than we have!) So....she continued on her walk down the beach and her conversation with the Lord. She related that as she rounded a bend a short time later, much to her surprise, a huge expanse of starfish laid out in front of her. Not just one measly starfish, but hundreds there on the sand before her!!!! God spoke to her in this moment that yes...he sent John (her husband) a whale because that was his gift for John. Just for him. But that He loves her just as much and wanted to give her something that would be meaningful to her! So he sent those incredible starfish. Something that would be hers and hers alone. Isn't God so that way! He longs to delight and love us in a way that is ours alone. Not in a cookie-cutter, one size fits all way. God loves each of us individually....uniquely. I love that! And this morning, through my simple, once-was-dead-and-now-it-lives rose bush, God delights me with a simple, lavendar rose. It may not be a hundred starfish or an enormous whale, but it is my gift from my heavenly Father!

So my question to you is, how is God delighting you today?

Good intentions.....

I had the best intentions to blog this afternoon during naps, but as I type these words, BOTH of my children are refusing to nap (something that never happens, btw), and with Ellie wailing in her bed, I think that blogging is now out of the picture. Hope to be back soon! Wish me luck on a LONG afternoon with no-nappers! :( And tonight is Ty's late night....on my own until 9pm! Argh!

Happy Independence Day!

I wasn't sure what to blog about today. There isn't much excitement in store for us, as there has been strep throat lingering around our house for several days. (Let me tell you how fun that has been!!) And due to the strep, our plans to celebrate the 4th with our friends, including Sarah, Nick and the boys have been foiled. There just is NO way that we can be around sweet Angel and expose him to anything. I'm so sad! I was so looking forward to today and having all of our kids together...baby Maddie, Ellie, Luke, Hudson and Angel. :( I will hope for another opportunity to see them soon.

I was trying to think back to years past and recall what we've done on the 4th of July, and surprisingly, I had a hard time recalling specifics. (Remember that memory of mine? It's failing me right now). We typically do the same things every year (sometimes to my husband's dismay!), but I'm a traditionalist and LOVE the Redlands fireworks! So, more often than not, we are with the same wonderful friends, celebrating together. (Except this year, of-course!:( ) I poured through my old pictures from as far back in our digital camera history to see what we had done each year. Here's my little review.

2004

I discovered I was pregnant with Luke on this day four years ago! I woke up early, and in half denial, took my newly bought pregnancy test to the guest bathroom while Ty was still sleeping and literally screamed when two lines appeared! Hahaha...that's a good memory for me. We spent the day giggling with one another and giddy with new-baby love! I remember going to the fireworks show with Laura and Dave (Sarah and Nick arrived later with Angel...Sarah, you were 3 months along with Hudsy then) and I distinctly recall whispering secretively to Ty about our news and giggling in delight together. But we didn't want to tell anyone until we shared with our parents first. That was a HARD secret to keep that day from my closest friends! This was our first 'baby' though...

2005

Luke had just turned 6 months old and we were again with Sarah (you can see baby Hudson behind us) at Laura and Dave's house to watch the fireworks from their front lawn. This was pre-baby for many of our friends. Krystal and Will were there too. Good memories. We lit sparklers at sun down (Laura, I have a great picture of your backside with a sparkler in your hand, but I figured you'd kill me for posting it!) LOL!!!! Lukey was so little then! I remember he was barely in 3 months sized clothes that day! My little preemie! We had just purchased our new car the day before too. We went to show it to Meemaw before the fireworks. Luke wanted to drive.

2006

(Photo taken by Sarah)
This was our first year going IN to the stadium with Luke (outside my belly!) and his first closeup experience with fireworks. He had SUCH a blast this year and did great with the fireworks, despite how loud they were! My parents were with us this year too....here is Luke modeling Grandma's sunglasses...

Luke and his favorite Hudsy...

Sweet Angel...

Ready for the fireworks to start...

2007

Very pregnant with Ellie. :)

We went into the stadium again last year and my sister, the girls and my parents joined us. The usual gang were all busy with other things this year. Laura and Dave were on vacation, Sarah and Nick with family and Krystal, Will and the twins were out of town. So...it was a family day! We had a great time! Luke LOVES his cousins!!!

Watching the sky divers....

2008

And now you're all caught up! :) We will undoubtedly have a much more mellow 4th this year. Hanging 'round home mostly. But, it's a day to celebrate nonetheless. We are so fortunate to be FREE! Happy Independence Day, my friends! May you count your blessings today!