Have a great weekend!!!
3.25.2010
Toothless Wonder
Zora lost tooth #5 last night. Since then she hasn't stopped singing "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth"! I sure hope they come back in before Christmas :-)
Have a great weekend!!!
Have a great weekend!!!
3.21.2010
Gimme A Break!!!
Spring Break that is!!! :-)
We've all enjoyed our break this past week. I think I needed it as much as the girls! We kicked off our spring break with Lily's birthday weekend (see previous post). Sunday night the girls spent the night with their Mamma & Papa (Joel's parents). On Monday they ventured out to Purple Glaze where the girls painted their very own ceramic pieces...
On Tuesday Lily had her 4 year check-up. That was NOT the highlight of our week. She had to get 3 shots and she screamed while I cried. You'd think that I wouldn't do that anymore, but I just can't help it. Later we went to the mall to play at the indoor playground with our cousin, Ty. We also had some fun shopping!
Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day and apparently a little leprechaun snuck in our house early that morning and dyed our milk green! So we had cereal with green milk! :-)
Wednesday afternoon we met some friends at McDonalds to play inside because the weather was too chilly to be outside. The girls had a lot of fun, but I forgot my camera :-(
Thursday was absolutely beautiful so we went to the park with Nana, Papa Doug, and cousins Alli & Skylar. The girls had a lot of fun. I just love their sweet little faces!
Isn't she adorable in pigtails?!?!?!
Love that little smile!
Having so much fun!
Thursday evening we had a weenie/marshmallow roast in celebration of all of Joel's hard work this week. Several months ago Joel put an awning outside our playroom and we had great intentions of getting a concrete slab until this awful winter hit. This past week was nice enough that he was able to complete the job! We were also finally able to put together the fire pit that we got as a Christmas gift. Uncle Jamie, Nana Betty, and Papa Doug all joined us to celebrate our new patio with an old fashioned weenie roast - those were the best chili dogs I've had in quite some time! For dessert we roasted marshmallows and made some S'mores. We had some nice family time together and it brought back lots of good memories... namely our recent visit to Arizona to see the Voss family, and for me it brought back all those times my family used to go camping in Colorado. There's nothing like sitting around a campfire with friends and family!
Friday morning we were thrilled to spend some time with our little buddy, Mark. We only watched him for a couple of hours, but we had fun. He is such a cutie! We also had playgroup on Friday morning and while we were there Zora drew this picture...
She absolutely LOVES to draw and she is getting better and better. I thought she did a great job, but I was really impressed with the squirrel under the tree. Here's a close-up...
Is that not too cute?!?!?! She decided that she wanted to send the picture to the Voss family because she misses them so much, so that's why there are names written on the picture.
Friday afternoon was a gorgeous 74 degree day, so the girls played outside while I cleaned out some flowerbeds. I got the girls in on the work when I told them I'd pay them each $1 for each job they helped me with. First they helped me by picking up all the big sticks and tree limbs they could find in the yard, then they picked up any trash they saw, and finally they helped me move some bricks to frame one of our flowerbeds. I now owe them each $3, but it was worth it. Nothing like teaching the value of the hard-earned dollar!
They also had fun playing in bubbles from a bubble machine that Lily got for her birthday from Aunt Megan & Uncle Nathan. I think we went through 3 bottles of bubbles!!! They would have played for hours on end with that thing if I had kept pouring in more :-)
Our spring break ended on the official first day of spring which was anything BUT a spring-like day! As I mentioned before, Friday was beautiful and 74 degrees... what did we wake up to on Saturday morning???? SNOW AGAIN & and more freezing temperatures!!!! I tell you this has been the craziest year for weather! All of the wildlife in our yard was so confused and desperately searching for food. It was a good thing I had hung up three bird feeders the day before. We had lots of birds flocking to our patio to get food in the snow storm. I managed to get some pics of a male and female cardinal...
The girls enjoyed playing in the snow for a little while, but Zora also commented that she was hoping that the first day of spring would be warm. I think we're all tired of the cold weather and looking forward to WARMTH!!!!
Tomorrow we're back on our school schedule. Only a few weeks left until summer break :-)
We've all enjoyed our break this past week. I think I needed it as much as the girls! We kicked off our spring break with Lily's birthday weekend (see previous post). Sunday night the girls spent the night with their Mamma & Papa (Joel's parents). On Monday they ventured out to Purple Glaze where the girls painted their very own ceramic pieces...
Zora's little dog
Lily's little bunny
On Tuesday Lily had her 4 year check-up. That was NOT the highlight of our week. She had to get 3 shots and she screamed while I cried. You'd think that I wouldn't do that anymore, but I just can't help it. Later we went to the mall to play at the indoor playground with our cousin, Ty. We also had some fun shopping!Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day and apparently a little leprechaun snuck in our house early that morning and dyed our milk green! So we had cereal with green milk! :-)
Wednesday afternoon we met some friends at McDonalds to play inside because the weather was too chilly to be outside. The girls had a lot of fun, but I forgot my camera :-(Thursday was absolutely beautiful so we went to the park with Nana, Papa Doug, and cousins Alli & Skylar. The girls had a lot of fun. I just love their sweet little faces!
Isn't she adorable in pigtails?!?!?!
Love that little smile!
Having so much fun!
Thursday evening we had a weenie/marshmallow roast in celebration of all of Joel's hard work this week. Several months ago Joel put an awning outside our playroom and we had great intentions of getting a concrete slab until this awful winter hit. This past week was nice enough that he was able to complete the job! We were also finally able to put together the fire pit that we got as a Christmas gift. Uncle Jamie, Nana Betty, and Papa Doug all joined us to celebrate our new patio with an old fashioned weenie roast - those were the best chili dogs I've had in quite some time! For dessert we roasted marshmallows and made some S'mores. We had some nice family time together and it brought back lots of good memories... namely our recent visit to Arizona to see the Voss family, and for me it brought back all those times my family used to go camping in Colorado. There's nothing like sitting around a campfire with friends and family!
Friday morning we were thrilled to spend some time with our little buddy, Mark. We only watched him for a couple of hours, but we had fun. He is such a cutie! We also had playgroup on Friday morning and while we were there Zora drew this picture...
She absolutely LOVES to draw and she is getting better and better. I thought she did a great job, but I was really impressed with the squirrel under the tree. Here's a close-up...
Is that not too cute?!?!?! She decided that she wanted to send the picture to the Voss family because she misses them so much, so that's why there are names written on the picture.Friday afternoon was a gorgeous 74 degree day, so the girls played outside while I cleaned out some flowerbeds. I got the girls in on the work when I told them I'd pay them each $1 for each job they helped me with. First they helped me by picking up all the big sticks and tree limbs they could find in the yard, then they picked up any trash they saw, and finally they helped me move some bricks to frame one of our flowerbeds. I now owe them each $3, but it was worth it. Nothing like teaching the value of the hard-earned dollar!
They also had fun playing in bubbles from a bubble machine that Lily got for her birthday from Aunt Megan & Uncle Nathan. I think we went through 3 bottles of bubbles!!! They would have played for hours on end with that thing if I had kept pouring in more :-)
Our spring break ended on the official first day of spring which was anything BUT a spring-like day! As I mentioned before, Friday was beautiful and 74 degrees... what did we wake up to on Saturday morning???? SNOW AGAIN & and more freezing temperatures!!!! I tell you this has been the craziest year for weather! All of the wildlife in our yard was so confused and desperately searching for food. It was a good thing I had hung up three bird feeders the day before. We had lots of birds flocking to our patio to get food in the snow storm. I managed to get some pics of a male and female cardinal...
The girls enjoyed playing in the snow for a little while, but Zora also commented that she was hoping that the first day of spring would be warm. I think we're all tired of the cold weather and looking forward to WARMTH!!!!Tomorrow we're back on our school schedule. Only a few weeks left until summer break :-)
3.14.2010
My Baby is 4!!!
My sweet little Lily celebrated her 4th birthday this weekend! We started the celebration on Saturday with a big party at our church gymnasium. Here is the happy little birthday girl in her birthday shirt :-)
The kiddos really seemed to enjoy the Jupiter Jump!
Lily insisted on having a Curious George party. Reasor's did a great job on her cake!
And of course opening the presents were the highlight for Lily!
Today we celebrated her actual birthday after church at her restaurant of choice...Incredible Pizza. I forgot my camera, so no pics of that!
To Our Dear Sweet Lily,
Where do I start? You began life as such a quiet little baby who was always on your best behavior. Over the past four years we have watched you grow into a very curious, sometimes ornery little girl with a very unique style all your own. You also have a very sweet, tender heart, and you never miss an opportunity to tell people you love them. I love the way you like to cuddle with me right after you wake up, and I love your great big bear hugs! I treasure these precious, tender moments of your life, and while I want you to stay this way forever, I also can't wait to see you grow up into an amazing young lady someday.
The kiddos really seemed to enjoy the Jupiter Jump!
Lily insisted on having a Curious George party. Reasor's did a great job on her cake!
And of course opening the presents were the highlight for Lily!
Today we celebrated her actual birthday after church at her restaurant of choice...Incredible Pizza. I forgot my camera, so no pics of that!
To Our Dear Sweet Lily,
Where do I start? You began life as such a quiet little baby who was always on your best behavior. Over the past four years we have watched you grow into a very curious, sometimes ornery little girl with a very unique style all your own. You also have a very sweet, tender heart, and you never miss an opportunity to tell people you love them. I love the way you like to cuddle with me right after you wake up, and I love your great big bear hugs! I treasure these precious, tender moments of your life, and while I want you to stay this way forever, I also can't wait to see you grow up into an amazing young lady someday.
I love you, little princess! Make a wish!
LOTS of Updates!
Okay, so I'm going to start with some great news! My little nephew, Kohen, got to go home on Friday, March 12 to be with his daddy, mommy and big brother! We are so thankful for God answering our prayers and we will continue to pray for him to get stronger and healthier each day!
Now I will try to catch up on everything else that's been going on around here. I'll start with our homeschooling updates. The girls are literally whizzing through all of their work and we will probably be finished with most of our curriculum in late April or early May! We will still do some academic work, but we are looking forward to an extra long summer break!!!
Zora continues to love History and Science above all other subjects. Her favorites lately have been the science experiments we've been doing. We've been studying matter and here are her two favorite experiments so far...
Exploration with Liquids
We've also been enjoying some get-togethers with our TIE group. We recently met to make Mardi Gras masks. Here's Zora with her mask... and notice the toothless little grin, too :-)
Lily is doing exceptionally well with her school work. She sails right through everything I put in front of her. She is still working hard on her letters and numbers and we continue to practice reading small words every day. What she enjoys most right now are the assignments I give her to develop her fine motor skills (coloring, cutting, pasting, etc.) We have 3 bulletin boards full of her work as well as the "artwork clothesline" in our playroom.
Our biggest homeschooling change was made very recently. Every Friday we normally go to a homeschool co-op where the kids had really enjoyed learning from other moms. We covered a wide variety of subjects in that group, and although I truly believed it was a wonderful program, I had to step back and really focus on the "important" things right now. It's very easy to get too wrapped up in so many great homeschooling activities, that sometimes I get over-committed and the girls and I both end up exhausted. Although I want to set high goals for my girls and give them as many opportunities as possible, I must also realize that they are only 6 and 4 and that we've got many years and opportunities ahead of us. I also don't ever want to push them so hard that they despise learning activities. So, for now, we are going to focus on our learning activities at home and look forward to doing fun activities with our homeschooling groups!
And speaking of FUN, we've been having plenty of that lately, too! We've been to visit our new little buddy, Levi...
...and his big Sister, Aubrey. These three girls play great together!!!
We've also been having a lot of fun with our friends, Jennifer and Addison. We enjoyed a trip to the circus with them and also a trip to the zoo. As always, I'm a sucker for zoo pics...I just can't help it! I think I need a support group :-)
And now for the silly faces!
Digging around in the African village
Is it just me or does this tree look a little crooked?!?!?! I can't believe that this is the first time I've noticed it when I've been there a million times...
And now for a couple of animal pics... the big cats are my favs and the lions were very cooperative for pictures!
I SPY three more little monkeys :-)
Now I will try to catch up on everything else that's been going on around here. I'll start with our homeschooling updates. The girls are literally whizzing through all of their work and we will probably be finished with most of our curriculum in late April or early May! We will still do some academic work, but we are looking forward to an extra long summer break!!!
Zora continues to love History and Science above all other subjects. Her favorites lately have been the science experiments we've been doing. We've been studying matter and here are her two favorite experiments so far...
Discovering Solvents
Exploration with Liquids
We've also been enjoying some get-togethers with our TIE group. We recently met to make Mardi Gras masks. Here's Zora with her mask... and notice the toothless little grin, too :-)
Lily is doing exceptionally well with her school work. She sails right through everything I put in front of her. She is still working hard on her letters and numbers and we continue to practice reading small words every day. What she enjoys most right now are the assignments I give her to develop her fine motor skills (coloring, cutting, pasting, etc.) We have 3 bulletin boards full of her work as well as the "artwork clothesline" in our playroom.
Our biggest homeschooling change was made very recently. Every Friday we normally go to a homeschool co-op where the kids had really enjoyed learning from other moms. We covered a wide variety of subjects in that group, and although I truly believed it was a wonderful program, I had to step back and really focus on the "important" things right now. It's very easy to get too wrapped up in so many great homeschooling activities, that sometimes I get over-committed and the girls and I both end up exhausted. Although I want to set high goals for my girls and give them as many opportunities as possible, I must also realize that they are only 6 and 4 and that we've got many years and opportunities ahead of us. I also don't ever want to push them so hard that they despise learning activities. So, for now, we are going to focus on our learning activities at home and look forward to doing fun activities with our homeschooling groups!And speaking of FUN, we've been having plenty of that lately, too! We've been to visit our new little buddy, Levi...
...and his big Sister, Aubrey. These three girls play great together!!!
We've also been having a lot of fun with our friends, Jennifer and Addison. We enjoyed a trip to the circus with them and also a trip to the zoo. As always, I'm a sucker for zoo pics...I just can't help it! I think I need a support group :-)
And now for the silly faces!
Digging around in the African village
Is it just me or does this tree look a little crooked?!?!?! I can't believe that this is the first time I've noticed it when I've been there a million times...
And now for a couple of animal pics... the big cats are my favs and the lions were very cooperative for pictures!
And you've gotta love monkeys in the trees...
I SPY three more little monkeys :-)
3.04.2010
The Power of Prayer
Thanks so much to all of you who have lifted us up in your prayers this week! I certainly do believe in the power of prayer, and I have a lot of good news to share with you!!!
I spoke with my Granny this morning and she is feeling fantastic! She finished her radiation treatments last week. She just had back surgery yesterday to repair some damage from the cancer and she said she hasn't felt this good in months! She is regaining her appetite and really feels like her "old self" again. Praise be to God! :-)
I also took Joel to the doctor today concerning the two mysterious masses on his pelvic bone. More good news! The orthopedic specialist does not feel that these two places are anything to worry about. He is, however, recommending that Joel go ahead and get the nuclear bone scan and MRI just as a precaution, but he is very doubtful that the tests will show anything! Praise be to God! :-)
And finally, my nephew is slowly improving! He has been taken off the ventilator, but he is still getting oxygen through a tube. They are also trying to slowly wean him off of his medication and so far there have not been any adverse reactions to the decreasing medication levels. His fever is gone now so he is able to have skin-to-skin contact with his parents. They are still not able to hold him, but they can touch his precious little body. The only development I got today that was not good news about him was that a bed sore has developed on his little head, so please continue to pray for him.
Thanks so much! God bless you all who are praying for us and supporting us with your love and friendship! We are truly blessed to have you in our lives!
I spoke with my Granny this morning and she is feeling fantastic! She finished her radiation treatments last week. She just had back surgery yesterday to repair some damage from the cancer and she said she hasn't felt this good in months! She is regaining her appetite and really feels like her "old self" again. Praise be to God! :-)
I also took Joel to the doctor today concerning the two mysterious masses on his pelvic bone. More good news! The orthopedic specialist does not feel that these two places are anything to worry about. He is, however, recommending that Joel go ahead and get the nuclear bone scan and MRI just as a precaution, but he is very doubtful that the tests will show anything! Praise be to God! :-)
And finally, my nephew is slowly improving! He has been taken off the ventilator, but he is still getting oxygen through a tube. They are also trying to slowly wean him off of his medication and so far there have not been any adverse reactions to the decreasing medication levels. His fever is gone now so he is able to have skin-to-skin contact with his parents. They are still not able to hold him, but they can touch his precious little body. The only development I got today that was not good news about him was that a bed sore has developed on his little head, so please continue to pray for him.
Thanks so much! God bless you all who are praying for us and supporting us with your love and friendship! We are truly blessed to have you in our lives!
3.02.2010
Life Is Precious
There have been so many reminders in my life lately that life is truly precious...
...my Granny facing radiation treatments & surgery for her cancer and then being hospitalized because of her medications reacting adversely to one another...
...my friend's baby being hospitalized after only 2 weeks of life with a mysterious infection...
...my husband falling down a flight of stairs, going to the ER, getting x-rays and finding out that he has two mysterious masses on his pelvic bone that are completely unrelated to the fall...
...a family friend losing her battle to cancer after 5 years of struggling...
...another friend losing a baby at 32 weeks gestation...
Tell people you love them... accept a spontaneous invitation from a friend to have lunch or a playdate... kiss your spouse and your children... get rid of all unnecessary stresses so you can enjoy things that are truly important...pray for those who are hurting and be available to help out...
These things have been heavy on my heart and I'm going to try my best to take my own advice. Most importantly right now I want to be available to those in my family and those who I love who are hurting and need extra love and support.
Please pray for my Granny, my hubby, and my precious new little nephew, Kohen. God bless!
...my Granny facing radiation treatments & surgery for her cancer and then being hospitalized because of her medications reacting adversely to one another...
...my friend's baby being hospitalized after only 2 weeks of life with a mysterious infection...
...my husband falling down a flight of stairs, going to the ER, getting x-rays and finding out that he has two mysterious masses on his pelvic bone that are completely unrelated to the fall...
...a family friend losing her battle to cancer after 5 years of struggling...
...another friend losing a baby at 32 weeks gestation...
...my step-sister going into labor early this past weekend and giving birth to a precious baby boy who is now fighting for his life in a NICU...
All of these things remind me that we should never take a moment of our lives for granted.
All of these things remind me that we should never take a moment of our lives for granted.Every day, every breath is a gift from God.
Tell people you love them... accept a spontaneous invitation from a friend to have lunch or a playdate... kiss your spouse and your children... get rid of all unnecessary stresses so you can enjoy things that are truly important...pray for those who are hurting and be available to help out...
These things have been heavy on my heart and I'm going to try my best to take my own advice. Most importantly right now I want to be available to those in my family and those who I love who are hurting and need extra love and support.
Please pray for my Granny, my hubby, and my precious new little nephew, Kohen. God bless!
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