Christmas Fun!

So here is a long blog with lots of photos......kinda like all my other blogs- lol

We first went to Dickens of a Christmas.....twice. First without Daddy, then again with Daddy.  It's the Christmas festival that downtown Mckinney holds every year. The girls had fun with the petting zoo, and each made an ornament (twice), and loved the hot chocolate and funnel cake and corndogs.  Madelynn heard 'ho, ho, ho' over the loudspeaker and kept asking "Mommy, who is doing all that ho-ing?  We have to find who is ho-ing!"

Then, we went to our HOA Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.  They had alot of crafts there as well. The girls ran around another petting zoo, ate hot chocolate and cookies, played in a bell concert and took pictures with Mrs. Claus (fyi, much shorter line than with Mr. Claus.)  In the end we went on a fun carriage ride.  It was warm that night, but the Madelynn and Annie loved wearing their hats. Such fashionistas- lol!

I woke up this week to screams of snow and "icing."  Evidently, we had gotten a small dusting of snow and the girls couldn't wait to get out and try eating it- lol!

We also made some Christmas bells for our neighbors this year. The girls were so excited to be using permanent markers.....I had to watch like a hawk, but most things ended up unscathed.  *sniff*  My girls are growing up!

Well, we still have more Christmas activities planned. I really love doing all these fun things with the kids.  Hope you all are having fun with your own Christmas plans!

Halloween

I love all the Fall activities, and so do the girls!  We went to Kroger's annual fall games and trick-or-treating special, the girls and Jake went to a pumpkin patch (with his family of course), and then we've had alot of fun making paper pumpkins and passing them out with cookies to our neighbors too! 

Then for Halloween, Annie and Madelynn decided they were a fairy princess. Joy was content just being herself.

I think they made out fairly well!  Mommy and Daddy enjoy the candy very much too! ;)
Hope everyone had a great Halloween too!

Summer Sandwich

My Favorite summertime sandwich is a cucumber sandwich.

Spread some cream cheese on bread (just regular cream cheese is fine)
slice some cucumbers and add
add optional turkey (delifresh turkey lunchmeat is what I use)

viole! yummy!

On a Sad Note

One more quick thing, on a sadder note. I did want to thank you all for keeping me and all the friends and family of the recent deaths in your thoughts and prayers.  It's been a hard couple of weeks, especially for this overemotional preggo. I just pray that I can be there for all the wonderful people in my life who are hurting from these deaths. I want to respect the privacy of these people and not give details on here, so just a small summary.

The first death was of a dear friend and coworker. She was such a vibrant and fun person to be around. Cancer can be no fun, but she had a way of uplifting people through even the hardest of circumstances.

The second death was of the mother of a very close friend of mine. I had known her mother for several years, and enjoyed all the conversations we shared. She was such a comfort to talk to, and gave the best advice. She was like the sun; being near her warmed your heart and made you a more positive, better person.

The third death was of a friend of mine, that I've known for about 14years. We had met in high school, and even though we lost and regained contact many times through the years; we always picked right up where we left off......as if no time had gone at all.  He had such a quiet strength about him, I could always be myself and feel right at home.

Each of these very special people will always hold a place in my heart. I know I will see them again in Heaven. It makes me appreciate everything and everyone even more.
Well, this quick note ended up being alittle longer than expected.  Please remember to tell everyone you love them, and to live each day to the fullest.
I love you.

Long Overdue

I know I haven't posted in forever, but I've still been so tired with this pregnancy. I can't seem to get anything done.  Jake and the girls have been really patient with me....hopefully this stage passes soon.  Some quick updates:

We bought a car!  We kept debating on getting a minivan, and had finally decided to get one. Then when we went to the dealership to compare the Honda Pilot with the Honda Odyssey (totally thinking the Odyssey would be the clear choice) we found that the most pros were with the Pilot!  It was cheaper, with the better APR. It has good gas mileage, and room for 8 passengers. The trunk space wasn't bad, and did I mention it was cheaper?  I'm very glad we chose the Pilot. Even though I've found some cons to it.....I enjoy spending money on things I really like rather than things I 'groan' about.  We can pretend to be young just a little longer. ;)

After getting some kind of stomach virus, the girls are back to their normal selves again.  Madelynn is enjoying sounding out and trying to read everything in sight. We're working on writing.....but that is still needing alot of practice.  Annie is talking better and better. She really enjoys singing, and is working on colors, shapes, and numbers.  Joy got 2 more teeth in! She now has her 2 bottom and 2 top teeth (both middle.)  She got a taste of table food, and took off trying to taste everything!  She is still trying to figure out the sippy cup, but enjoys copying her sisters.  She races after her sisters (on all fours) everywhere they go. She has even started imitating things; i.e. she puts the toy phone to her ear and yells in it. I can't believe how big all the girls are getting! Here is a recent pic of Joy (yes, her onesie is quite the mess.)

I will post recent pics of Madelynn and Annie later. They are so busy, I realized we've been doing mostly movies of them.
Well, gotta jet off. There are so many things I want to blog about, I'll have to search for the energy (and time) later.

Going for girl number 4!

Yep, pregnant again! This is one Lucky baby! It's due date is February 29, 2012 (leap year) and is my parents grandchild number 13. Not to mention, it is truely by the Grace of God that this child came to be (but that is another long post.) We have decided right now to keep the sex of the baby a surprise until birth (we'll see how long we can last.) We feel very blessed that God trusts us with another child......and pray for more energy to keep up with His standards....hehe. Thank you for joining us in celebrating this wonderful adventure we are embarking upon.

Hansel and Gretel

Madelynn's first dance recital was on Saturday. She did great! She was an angel in the play Hansel and Gretel. I think she had alot of fun.

Mom, we need a new house

Such funny conversations I have with Madelynn lately. Here is one recent one:

Mom, this mirror looks wrong here. I think we need to move the house.

Move the house?

Well, maybe we could just buy a new house.

We need a new house?

Yes, this house is too old. We need give this house to people who like old things.

Like who?

Like old people.

Old people?

Yes, daddy is old. He can live here, and we can go to a new house.

I don't know about that.....

Well, maybe we can just get all new stuff. Are you thinking what I'm thinking mom?

What are you thinking?

I'm thinking we need a new palm tree, acorn tree, all new trees....

She continued with a list of new things we need, while I quietly laughed.... Her imagination is just hilarious!

The Harmonic Clash

Yo-Yo Ma and Lil Buck. Love the culture clash that works in such harmony.

Quick Update

Just a quick update on what we've been up to.

Madelynn got her first haircut. She really enjoyed the special outing, and loves her new hair.

Before:

After:

Annie is potty trained! She still has a little accident sometimes as she waits too late and goes running for the potty. But it is common now to hear commotion in the bathroom as she goes all by herself.

Joy started on cereal! She seems to like it so far. We start baby food next week. Should be fun! ;)

Well, that's about it for us for now! Hope everyone is enjoying the Spring weather as much as we are!

Happy April Fool's Day!

Haha! Bet you were checking in to see if I was pregnant again this year or not. I'm not. ;)  Love you all and hope ya'll had a wonderful day!

Update on Joy!

So we had the appt. at Scottish Rite yesterday and they said she looked normal!  They said some torsion of the tibial is common in infants because they sit crosslegged in utero for 9 months.  They aren't worried about the length discrepancy either.  If it gets worse as she gets older, then they will gladly see her again.  But as of now, they are calling her completely normal!

Thank you all for your prayers!

Fitting in Three

People always ask "how do you fit 3 kids in 1 room?"
Or they ask "how do you fit in 3 kids in a Ford Escape?"

We fit kinda tight, but we're a snuggly kinda family anyways.  ;)

Baby Joy

We had a doctors appt today for Joy and found that she has LLD: leg length discrepancy. Her left leg is about a quarter inch longer than her right leg.  We had a sonogram of the hip and bilateral leg xrays which showed no hip problems just tibial bowing of both legs (more in the left than the right.) FYI, the tibia is the lower leg bone; and yes, you read right that the bowing is more in the longer leg.

Basically, the doctors don't know what to think of this. We are being referred to Scottish Rite Hospital. I'm not too worried right now, but once 6 months hit most cartilage has turned to bone and there won't be much we can do about it.  Also need to check for mal-absorption of vitamin D (rickets). If the lengthening doesn't even out, then when they are teens they can fix that. We'll just have to watch that the length discrepancy doesn't cause scoliosis and other problems; her left foot has already started turning in.

Interestingly, my Mom told me that my Dad's legs are also alittle bowed, and Beth and Joe (Jake's siblings) are bow-legged as well. There might be a small hereditary factor there.

We would appreciate it if you could all keep Joy in your prayers as we head into this new adventure.
Thank you.

Happy Birthday Jake!

To my Darling Husband.

You are the one that I care for.
More and more each day ....
You are the one that I think of.
In such a loving way ....

You're everything I love Darling ....
You're all my dreams come true.
And as time goes by.
I fall in more love with you ....
anonymous

I thank God everyday that he made such a special man for me to share my life with.
I Love You! Happy Birthday!

Staycation

So Jake and I needed a mini vacation, but didn't have the money for it. So we did a stay-cation in Dallas instead!  My Mom and Dad stayed with the girls Saturday night (thank you Mom and Dad! Sorry about the 3am Madelynn wake up.)  Jake and I stayed at the Belmont Hotel in downtown Dallas. It's a 3 star hotel that is on this awesome hillside with fantastic views of downtown Dallas. It's simply decorated with a modern feel, but very nice and clean. It was too cool to swim, but the pool is backed up against the hill with a fountain that looks like it's coming from the hillside and the uninterrupted view of downtown can be seen 180deg. around the pool (what a great place for a wedding!) There was a local rock band (nobody knew the name) being interviewed at the hotel and looked like they were going to shoot video at the pool. The staff was very nice and courteous and the valet people didn't even roll their eyes when we had them park my car about 3 times during the night (we were coming and going for various events.)
Next door to the hotel is The Smoke Restaurant.  Jake and I ate breakfast there the next morning, and the food was FANTASTIC!  The atmosphere in the restaurant was very cozy with a large fire going. On the menu was some very interesting dishes that I'd love to try (like blueberry pancakes with a vanilla apricot cream sauce,) but I just stuck with the eggs, bacon, and biscuit with a cheesy grits casserole.  The grits were very good and had some spice to it that made it better than most grits I've tasted. The biscuit was large and homemade and came with the chef's homemade pineapple cinnamon jam (he makes a new jam every week). VERY Awesome!  The bacon was the largest slice of meat I'd every seen that had been grilled but left very juicy on the inside. The plate also came asparagus and tomato.  I'm normally not a fan of either vegetable, but these had been brushed with barbecue sauce and grilled.  DELICIOUS! I will never look at asparagus the same way again!  This is my new favorite spot! Jake and I can't wait to try their lunch and dinner menus.  I recommend everyone to try it!
Jake and I also recommend everyone to try a stay-cation of their own! It was a lot of fun and we had a great time with some great friends!

Nicknames

I've never been one for nicknames, yet I seem to have picked up a corny name for each of the girls. Funny how that happens...
We have Miss Madelynn, Anniebells, and JoyJoy. 
Poor Jake has picked up Jake-ie (sprung from his "Corr-ie!" so I'd answer "Jake-ie!")

I change my mind. I love endearing, corny family nicknames!

Happy Valentine's Day!

To me, Valentine's Day is a day to tell everyone who is important to you that you love them. It isn't just for your honey, it's for all your close friends and family too.  I've decided that a new tradition for our family is to make Valentine's Day about showing God's love to our neighbors too. So today the girls and I will be baking cookies and making homemade cards to take to our neighbors.

Essential Valentine FriendThis Valentine is meant to let you know
How much you mean to me, my best friend,
but there aren’t words
warm enough, fond enough,
or deep enough to express my feelings.
You are an essential piece of my life’s puzzle.
You clarify me, enrich me,
energize me, comfort me.
"Fun" would be just another word without you.
As the days of our lives go by,
I fervently hope that I can bring to you
the abundant joy you have brought to me.
Happy Valentine’s Day!By Joanna Fuchs

My Girlies

These are some of my favorite pictures of the girls:

My Wish for You

I wish you Health.....
So you may enjoy each day in comfort.

I wish you the Love of friends and family.....
And Peace within your heart.

I wish you the Beauty of nature.....
That you enjoy the work of God.

I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities.....
For those things that really matter in life.

I wish you Generosity so you may share.....
All good things that come to you.

I wish you Happiness and Joy.....
And Blessings for the New Year.

I wish you the best of everything.....

It's the Dad Life

This is Greatness!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZa7hU6tP_s

Corn Chowder

Here is another one of my favorite easy recipies. Don't expect it to taste gourmet, because it's not. But it's decent enough on a cold day when you need to use up the Christmas ham; and most importantly it's something healthy that the kids love.

1 1/2 milk
1can cream style sweet corn
1cup cubed ham thinly sliced
1can whole new potatoes drained and coarsely chopped
1can whole kernel golden sweet corn, drained
1cup shredded cheese

Stir milk into cream corn in large saucepan.
Add ham, potatoes, and whole corn.
Heat through, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat.
Stir in cheese until melted.

Garnish with green onion slivers if desired.

Enjoy!