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Friday, April 30, 2010

Future Hall of Famers

When Katrina found out that two of her guy friends were playing T-ball this spring, her reaction was that she could throw better than both of them.  Gotta love my girl!  So, we told her to prove it.


This week will be the teams first practice.  The first game is next week.  Kat has been adamant about getting in as much practice time as possible.  We got her a new glove (you may remember the drama here).  Thankfully, the quest for a new bat was much easier.  She picked out a fabulous orange sparkly Rawlings, and has been outside practicing almost every evening.


Check out the power stance on this kid. 




And, I know I will just sound like the psycho proud sports nut mama here, but that girl can hit!  We were chasing some of her hits right to the back fence!


Well, of course, anything that Katrina does, Madison feels the need to be right in the middle of.  But, the thought of Madi with an aluminum bat was downright terrifying.  Luckily, she was perfectly content to use the plastic one. 






And there was no way little sister was going to get left out of the fun.  She got her own little bat, stepped up to the plate




and decided to hit the ball with the handle. 



I am sincere when I say that I have learned not to ask. 


But I think I have some future Hall of Famers here, don't you?

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Thankful Thursday

The house is quiet.  All the girls are asleep.  I am curled up on the couch, coffee in hand.  I have a rare weekday at home because Katrina is home from school, not feeling well. 




We snuggled all morning on the couch, watching cartoons and watching little sisters.  Both were entertaining. 




Yes, honey, I promise to have it cleaned up by the time you get home.


This week has challenged my attitude.  Two friend, both in their first trimester of pregnancy, have miscarried this week.  My heart hurts.  Now you understand why I wrote this post.  It has been a really hard week, but a really good week, all at the same time.  I have seen God comfort and heal hearts in ways I honestly did not think possible.  I have seen a family of choice rally around these couples to love and minister in any way possible.  It has been an encouraging week.


I am thankful that I get to be indoors today (the allergens & wind in the air today are horrendous).



I am thankful that beautiful reminders of spring are literally popping up all over our property.



I am thankful for Ga*orade.  So good for hurting tummies (and jealous little sisters).




I am thankful for the way this one makes me smile every day.



I am thankful for the beautiful bonds of sisterhood developing in our home.



It gives me hope during the cat fights!


I am thankful that this young man was found safe!  We received a frantic phone call from a friend in Atlanta Tuesday morning.  One of her coworkers is a cousin of Jason.   The family asked us, being in CO, to pass along the information about his disappearance to everyone we knew.  We forwarded the information to every CO agency in our company, put the information on FB, everything we could think of.  I spoke with the young mans older brother, Jon, Tuesday afternoon, because we were contacted by a paper in Fort Collins.  They wanted to get the information out, but didn't want to breach the family's privacy.  He was so worried, so scared.  You could tell he was dreading the worst.  Jason is hurting, and it sounds like there is healing that needs to happen, but he is alive.  He is ok.


God is good.  What are you thankful for today?

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Big Girl Stuff

Guess who




figured out




how to swing




all by herself?




And now we cannot get her to come inside!





Man, I love that girl!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Girlfriends

There is something so sweet




so refreshing



about girlfriends.



They are there through thick and thin.



And always good for a giggle.




Go give your girlfriends a hug for me today, will you?


These awesome photos were taken by my newest girlfriend & little sis-in-love Celine.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Shout Out To The Mamas

I got this from my mom this morning.  Normally I just delete these, but this one was just too good to pass up.  Enjoy!


 


THE

NEXT SURVIVOR

SERIES

Six married men

will be dropped on an island with one car and

3 kids each for six weeks.



Each kid will play two sports

and take either music or dance classes.



There is no fast food.



Each man must

take care of his 3 kids;

keep his assigned house clean,

correct all homework,

complete science projects,

cook,

do laundry,

and pay a list of 'pretend' bills

with not enough money.





In

addition, each man

will have to budget in money

for groceries each week.





Each man

must remember the birthdays

of all their friends and relatives,

and send cards out on time--no emailing.



Each man must also take each child

to a doctor's appointment,

a dentist appointment

and a haircut appointment.





He must make one unscheduled and

inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.





He must also make cookies or cupcakes

for a social function.





Each man will be responsible for

decorating his own assigned house,



planting flowers outside, and keeping it

presentable at all times.





The men will only have access to television

when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.





The men must shave their legs,



wear makeup daily,



adorn

themselves with jewelry,



wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,



keep fingernails polished,



and eyebrows groomed





During one of the six weeks,



the men will have to endure severe

abdominal cramps, back aches, head aches,

have extreme, unexplained mood swings

but never once complain or slow down

from other duties.





They must attend weekly school meetings and

church,

and find time at least once to spend

the afternoon at the park or a similar

setting.





They will need to read a book to the kids

each night and in the morning,

feed them,

dress them,

brush their teeth and

comb their hair

by 7:00 am.





A test

will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be

required to know all of the following information:

each child's

birthday,

height, weight,

shoe size, clothes size,

doctor's name,

the child's weight at birth,

length, time of birth,

and length of labor,

each child's favorite color,

middle name,

favorite snack,

favorite song,

favorite drink,

favorite toy,

biggest fear,

and what they want to be when they grow up.





The kids vote them off the island based on performance.



The last man wins only if...

he still

has enough energy

to be intimate with his spouse

at a moment's

notice.





If the last man does win,

he can play the game over and over and over

again for the next 18-25 years,

eventually earning the right

to be called Mother!



Sunday, April 25, 2010

Do I even want to understand?

I know that, this side of heaven, we are not supposed to understand everything.  We are not God.  We are not omnipotent.  We are finite.  We have finite comprehension.  But knowing these things does not make living in this fallen world any easier.


I don't understand why babies die before having the chance to be held by their earthly parents.


I don't understand why 3 year old little girls get horrendous forms of cancer (as if any form of cancer is less devastating than another).


I don't understand why couples who long for nothing more than to love a child struggle for years with infertility, while couples who never want a child are able to conceive without trying.


I don't understand how someone can scream on the Internet about social injustice and the needs of humanity, and pay no attention to the desperation in their own home.


I don't understand why the wicked and evil prosper, and the righteous struggle to feed their families.


I don't understand how a parent can go to work every day, putting off the perfect front, and come home to drink and beat on his kids.


I dont understand how the leader of a country can seek greed for himself while ignoring the desperate needs of his people.


I long for a world in which I do not have to censor everything for my children.  A world where babies are conceived in a loving home, where they will be adored and cherished.  I long for a world where there is no abuse.  Where we meet the needs we see around us because we want to, not because of a mandated social program.  Where there are no starving children. 


I long for a world where a wife no longer has to say goodbye to her husband far too soon.  Where parents no longer have to grieve.  Where children can live without fear.  Where people are loved the way God intended.


I know that day will only come when Christ returns.  Our sins, our pride, our refusal to let God reign have allowed these horrible monsters to roam our earth.  My choices, my stubbornness have contributed to the evil that plagues this earth.  And that breaks my heart.


Lord, forgive me. Forgive me of my sins which have contributed to the horrors of this world.  Forgive me for trying to play God and make sense of this world.  I know I cannot.  And yet that pride overwhelms me, causes me to seek answers where there are none. 



Help me to be You in the flesh on this earth.  And, no, I really don't want to understand.  I just want You to be You. 

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Of Tractors and Teeth

I love Saturdays.  They are the only day I get to spend entirely with my family.  Today was another busy, busy family day. 


First we went to the library.  Katrina loves the library since she can now read chapter books by herself.  Madison loves it because she can play with the blocks.






After the library we headed to the Home & Ranch Show at the fairgrounds.  It was really fun to see all the exhibits, to dream about all the neat things we could do at our house.




And take some really cute pictures of my babies.





And...kiss a frog?





Probably shouldn't ask.


We also got to try the new 3-D TVs.  I must say, they are pretty cool.  And after walking through exhibits for two hours, the girls were ready to sit for a minute.






When we got home, Katrina begged me to try and pull her front tooth.  This tooth has been loose for about two months.  No luck.  We sent her to nap with the promise we would try again.


Well, it took 2 hours, lots of tears, and a load of floss, but we finally got it out.  I kept trying to convince her to just leave it in, let it wiggle itself out, but it was hurting her so bad she didn't want to eat.  There is not much on this earth that is cuter than a six-year-old toothless grin.







Friday, April 23, 2010

Letters of Intent

Foursons



Dear Julie,

Thank you so much for hosting this blog carnival.  I have been enjoying all the letters for a while, but never thought I had much material to write in with.  Jump on over to her blog to read more Letters of Intent!

Sincerely,
the little blogger-in-training

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Little Sis-in-Love,

Thank you.  The past two weeks have been a joy.  Seriously.  You have grown and matured so much.  You have become a sweet, helpful, wise young woman.  I will treasure the memories of our chats the rest of my life.  I will now look forward to Mama & Papa leaving town, because I know we will be blessed to have you stay at our house.  You are incredibly patient and loving with your nieces, respectful and obedient to us, understanding, sympathetic, and funny to boot.  I prayed my whole life to have a little sister.  I am so grateful God brought me you.

Love,
Your Big Sis

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Blogger,

Thank you for putting the spell checker back on the tool bar.  That is all.

Sincerely,
The OCD-everything-must-be-spelt-right-blogger

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Grocery Store Clerk,

I normally don't frequent your lane, because you have been known to try to steal my print-out coupons.  Seriously, those things are gold in our house.  No touchy touchy.  But I had see you to last week, because all the other lines were a mile long.  So when you notice that I am buying allergy medicine for my children, know that I do not need your non-medical, non-mother opinion.  Yes, my children have allergies.  Yes, they need medicine to keep their symptoms under control.  No, I do not think it is ridiculous that they make allergy medicine for children.  Back off!

Sincerely,
Protective Mama of Little Snot-Nosed Babies

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mortgage Broker,

You picked the wrong insurance lady to mess with.  When you had the nerve to call me the day before closing and say, "I sure am glad that your husband is the realtor on this deal, because I know if you want to get paid, you will do what I ask," I am quite certain you were not thinking.  Because no one in their right mind would try to intimidate another professional like that.  No, we will not violate the state insurance regulations for you.  Sorry.

And when you decided to email both my husband and the listing agent a rather scathing message about how we as the insurance company were screwing up this deal, I am sure you had no idea the hornet's nest you disturbed.  It is not our fault your blessed processors and underwriters decided to wait until 18 hours before closing to review the case file.  It is not our fault that they then had to delay the closing so that they could be educated in the state laws and regulations they should already know.  It is not our fault they are trying to strong-arm insurance companies into doing something that is, in essence, illegal. 

On the other hand, thank you.  You have made a lot of people in this town aware of the shady things mortgage companies are trying to do.  We are now teaching seminars to all the Realtors & title companies here, so that everyone can see just how shady your dealings have been. 

Oh, and one more thing.  Congratulations.  You have, in essence, guaranteed that you will no longer receive any deals from this town.  Because, once I am done, everyone will know how badly you try to screw your clients, and how horrible your professional attitude is.  Like I said, you picked the wrong insurance lady to mess with.

Sincerely,
Insurance Wife of a Realtor Who Cares More About Honesty, Integrity, and Her Husband Than A Paycheck.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To My Followers/Lurkers/Family:

Phew!  I feel much better now.  Thanks for listening to my rant.

Love,
The crazy one who might have had too much coffee this morning.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Update on little Susana - Please pray

Cody & Maria just posted an update on their daughter Susana here.  Please continue praying for them.  The diagnosis is not good.  They have found tumors everywhere, and it is officially Neuroblastoma, and aggressive.  I know that if it were me, I would covet all the prayers I could get.  Please, go to their site & leave even a small note letting them know you are praying.  Thanks, friends. 

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Violet the Pirate Returns

Shh...dont tell Mommy.  I am hijacking her computer while she is at work and the nanny is distracted by Madi. I can always count on big sis for a good distraction.  The last time I did this, I was on crib detail for a month! 


But, really?  Who cares about leeks?  I didnt even eat them.  Ha, Mommy didnt tell you that, did she?  Nope, I refused to eat dinner that night.  No way was she going to fool me.  I knew they were onions.  Not gonna eat them.  Of course, my master plan backfired when she didnt let me have a cookie for dessert.  Which reminds me, I need to renegotiate my dinner/dessert contract with her...


And dont you just love what she has been doing with Picasa lately?  Stunning, I tell you.  Just stunning.




Anyways,  I have been quite busy lately.  I am cutting all of my 2 year molars at the same time.  You know I like to keep everyone busy.  I have also discovered a new form of Mommy torture.  I have perfected sitting on the potty without actually doing anything.  I ask to to sit on it at least a half dozen times every night, then do my business about a minute after she gets the diaper back on.  She really makes some great facial expressions!


And, the most important news - I got my hair cut!  I normally just get a trim, but this time I wanted to do something different.  Mommy said I had been rocking the baby mullet.  Now, I am not sure what a mullet is, but it sure didnt sound good.


I must say that I do enjoy all the pampering I get from Mrs. Ronda.  She takes good care of me. 





We cut at least 2 inches off the bottom.  Doesnt it look better now?




And the finished product is pretty fabulous too, if I do say so myself.




Since Mommy seems to really be enjoying my poop stories lately, I figured I would dish out on my ever so loving sisters.  Madi decided to use poop as camoflage war paint the other night.  Very fun for me.  I love standing next to her while she is taking a cold bath reminding her that we do not eat poop.  Actually, that phrase works in a lot of situations in this house...


Oops, busted by the nanny!  Gotta go!

Urgent Prayer Request - Please!

Two full-time missionaries in Haiti, Cody and Maria Whittaker, are facing a grave situation with their 3-year-old daughter Susana.  She was flown to Miami Children's because they thought she had contracted malaria.  Turns out, they found a malignant mass in her stomach.  They are doing further tests today to determine where they go from here.  You can visit their website here to leave them a word of encouragement or get updates.


Thank you so much for praying. 

Monday, April 19, 2010

An Ode to Leeks

I know, weird, right?   But true.

Last night, my children ate leeks.  Yes, these leeks.





The ones that are, in essence, an onion.  My devoutly anti-onion children ate onions.  How, you may ask?


Careful camoflage.


I have had three little packages of lamb burger just sitting in my freezer.  Waiting for the perfect recipe.  We have had Jeromes sister Celine with us for a week, and I wanted to fix something special for her.  She LOVES lamb, like any good French-American teenager should. 


I found this recipe from Betty Crocker (have I mentioned lately how much I love that site?) and decided to try.  It really is easy, and the lamb could be substituted with any meat you like.  


And it got my children to eat leeks.  And repeatedly say, throughout the meal, how much they liked leeks.  Worth the shot?  I think so. 

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Easter Eggs

I know, I know.  It is about 3 weeks past Easter.  With the way allergy season has hit our house, I am lucky to remember my name most days.  But, in the interest of all the aunts & uncles who read this blog, I know I will be in trouble if I dont post these.


We got complicated, girly eggs this year.  Three day eggs.  Day one involved hard-boiling the eggs, then cooling them. 


Day Two, we got to dye.  Here is my artsy attempt, complete with paper towels.  Classy, I know.





Katrina chose this moment to become traumitized because she had to share with her sisters.






Eventually, the sisters made amends and enjoyed each others company whilst creating their artwork.





And, here are the finished creations, complete with speckling of an unknown origin.




Day Three involved sponges and painting of the eggs.  But, by this time I was so over the egg dying that I did not get any photos of the complete eggs. 


On a side note, we discovered that our children REALLY love hard boiled eggs.  Needless to say, the art work did not survive for long.

Friday, April 16, 2010

I Scream You Scream

We scream for 31 Flavors!  Dollar Scoop Nights are the best.


Now, Katrina must eat her ice cream like a perfect princess.






The other two?  Yeah, not so much...





There is a fringe benefit to being the youngest, you know.



Katrina was fed ice cream with a spoon at this age.  Violet?  We just reach for the camera!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Thankful Thursday

This week, I am thankful for:



peaceful moments with my girls





that God never stops teaching us new things




for new friends



and family relationships that can develop into friendships

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Meet Our New Babies

We love babies at our house.  Except our babies may not be typical.









See?  I told you.  Arent they cute?





And this is our new Mama.  To my dad, she is #24.  To Katrina, she is Rosie.





And she is turning out to be a great mom.