First Haircut

Do you think I waited long enough???

There is just something about that first haircut! I know she needed it, but I just wasn't ready! I finally decided it was time because it was in her face all the time! I was feeling really bad for her. I can't put bows in her hair because she pulls them out and thinks they are snacks! She did really well with her first haircut and I am really glad we took her. Her are some pictures of her being a big girl! This is 2 days shy of her 9 month birthday!

And here is the after picture!

Valentine's Day

My Dad called and wanted to take the girls out to lunch on Valentine's Day. He said they could wear dresses and he would take them to Red Robin. The girls were thrilled to go!! They couldn't wait to get ready for their "date". Here they are all dressed up and ready to go!

The girls had a great time and came home with flowers. They were so happy!! They couldn't wait to get them in water!! Thanks PaPa for making their Valentine's Day special!

Stress and Pressure

I haven't posted in a long time because my mind has been elsewhere. I guess I need to back up and explain to get you to understand these last couple of days. When Tim and I had Grace we started talking about homeschooling. We wanted it as an option when the time came. It was at the top of our list. I was more okay with it than Tim, but he too liked the idea. Last year, I started thinking about it again and for many reasons Tim and I decided it was not where the Lord was leading us. We decided to put Grace in preschool. We started our search for our choices for schooling for Grace. I looked into a bunch of different schools and ended up really liking Firm Foundations. It is at our church and it a smaller school with good curriculum. We were excited about it and were praying about it. Enrollment stared on Monday of this week. Tim and I started talking about it a month ago and really wanted to make sure this is what we wanted to do. Three weeks ago, I ran downstairs to get something and noticed the two school desks we had. We had bought both of them from a church for $5. We bought them 2 years ago thinking we would home school. Here I was staring at them. I have seen them before in the basement (since deciding not to home school), but they for some reason were saying to me..."are you sure about your home school decision?". I ignored it and moved on with life. I then found myself e-mailing friends about homeschooling - asking questions. I then started research on the Internet. I couldn't get it out of my mind. This brings us to last weekend.

Tim and I talk and decide homeschooling is a option and it is at the top of the list now. We know we have to make our decision by Monday morning. We think, talk and pray about it all weekend. Going back and forth on what we are going to do. On Sunday night, we sit down for our last talk and Tim says to me - I really feel home school is best for our family and I am really excited about it. I too agreed with him, but was not as excited, because I was scared! We went to bed with peace and was thankful for answered prayer.

I get up on Monday morning and start taking care of the kids and I wigged, I flipped, I freaked, I became a basket case. Not sure I could do it and questioning our decision. I called Tim...he still has peace and was excited about our decision. Me....not so much. We talk off an on all day about it and I am in tears half the day. We get the kids in bed and revisit the subject. We write out the pros and cons of both options. After much dicission, we decide to put her in Firm Foundations. I am numb at this point and have no opinion and Tim knows that. He makes the decision that he feels is best. I support him. On Tuesday morning I told him I would go up to the school and enroll her, but if I felt sick about it, I wasn't. He agreed. I got up there had peace and enrolled her. I thought this was the end of our schooling saga. I should know better...right?

I leave the building with peace, but still kind of numb. I was really okay with her going there. It is a great school and she will be in the same class as her best friend. I get home, get lunch on the table and the girls are busy eating and talking. I find my mind back on homeschooling. Why, Lord??? Why?? Such a roller coaster ride...I can't go up and down anymore. I call Tim and explain I have peace - I am okay with our decision, but still am thinking about homeschooling...why? He understood my concerns and said he was not mad because he too likes the idea of homeschooling.

So this brings us to today. She is still enrolled at the school and I am still okay with it. I will say this, I will be doing research on homeschooling and we are still praying if it is for us. Tim and I both feel like the decision was so deep and so heavy. I wigged, freaked, flipped out and wanted to run from homeschooling because I didn't have all my information and was not comfortable with it all. I also felt so much pressure to make such a big decision with such a short time frame. Deep in my heart of hearts I really do think we will home school. I don't understand why that all took place. I do know Tim and I have grown closer through it. I am amazed at how God has changed Tim's heart and he was so ready to HS and I was the one running!

So stay tuned and pray we have wisdom as to what is right for this family. I really am okay with either one...and so is Tim!

In all of this I am reminded ~ "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

The New Bed and Crawling

A couple of weeks ago, Halle came to me and wanted to know why she was the only one who did not have a big girl bed in the house. Halle sleeps in a toddler bed and Grace in a twin. My heart sank. I felt so bad for her. She told me she wanted a big girl bed. I knew right then I was going to start looking for a bed for her. Tim and I tossed around the idea of bunk beds, and for many reasons decided they were not for us. So, the choices were a twin for Halle or a full for both of them to sleep in. I was leaning towards the twin for Halle, but after measuring everything in their room, the twin would fit, but it would look really awkward in there. To top it off we wouldn't have been able to leave the dresser in there. The room is really big, but with the way the door, window, and closet are placed there are not many options to work with. All that being said, we decided to go with the full bed. They have slept in a full bed before, and did really well with it. We figure if it doesn't work, that bed will eventually go in the spare room down stairs. Tim picked up the mattresses today, but the headboard and footboard are not in yet. Tonight is their first night in their bed together. I can tell Halle feels like a big girl. That makes me so happy! They are in there laughing and talking as I type this. It brings joy to my soul after a long day today!! Here are some pictures of them before we turned the lights off. And now, one of my big Halle girl!! So happy to be in her big girl bed!

I also wanted to add that Avery started crawling today. Today is my Mom's birthday. What a nice treat for my Mom. Avery showed off her new skill tonight for Mom as we celebrated her birthday. I know my Mom missed celebrating her birthday with her Mom today, but what an awesome remembrance of the Lord giving and taking away. Once again I am reminded of my Grandma through Avery Margaret!

Halle is 3!!

Halle turned 3 last Thursday. It was so fun to watch her and listen to her. She understood what was going on and was excited to have a birthday. She was so cute with all of it. For those of you who know Halle, she does not like to be the center of attention. She has gotten better with situations that have a lot of people involved or anything having to do with her. She handled this birthday very well. To top it all off, the poor girl was sick for her party. She still did good with it all! Halle is my sweet little girl who plays good alone and loves to laugh. She really is the ham in our family. I connect with her in a different way and love her for who she is. She often gets lost in the shuffle and I try to be aware of this happening . She really is content to not be made over. So opposite of our first-born! :)

To My Halle Girl,

You are 3!!! Wow - I remember when you were born just like it was yesterday. We were thrilled to find out you were a girl. We knew you and Gracie would be good friends and have tons of fun with each other. I love my sister and am thankful for her. I wanted a sister for Gracie, so you and her could share the same thing Lynn and I have. It is so fun to watch you and her together.

You were in the NICU after you were born and it broke my heart to see you in there. It was a very difficult thing to go through, but we were so happy and blessed to know you would be fine. You came home a week later.

You are my little girl and I love your personality and the way you love life. You are content to be alone and play alone. You sit back and take it all in. I love this about you. You love to laugh and you know how to make me laugh, but you really know how to make Avery laugh. It is so sweet to watch you play with her and make her laugh. You are a great big sister to her!

Daddy and I love you so much. Thank you for the joy and laughter you bring to this home. I thank God for you and pray that you will seek after Him and desire Him with your whole heart. I also pray Daddy and I can be the parents we are supposed to be.

I love you, Halle girl!

Cast and Pins

Yesterday I took Gracie to the Dr. to have her cast removed and have another x-ray. If the bone was healed, she was done with the cast and the pins would be removed. If it was not healed, she would have had another cast put on. I am not good with medical stuff...at all. I don't pass out, but I just can't handle it. My Dad came with me to be the strong one. I knew I couldn't hold her hand while he pulled long pins out of her bone. I Just couldn't be the strong one.

They took the old cast off and took her for an x-ray. The pins had started to work their way out of her arm already. Which made me not want to look at it!! After the Dr. looked at the x-ray he told us the good news - it was completely healed! Praise the Lord!!! He said it was one of the fastest healing he has ever seen! Gracie was very excited, but knew it was time for the pins to come out. My Dad held her hand and helped her through it while her weak-kneed mother sat in a chair! She cried some as they come out, but did really well. The Dr. asked her if he should pitch the pins or did she want to keep them? In my mind I am saying....keep them?????...for real??? What in the heck would we do with them? I then said to myself, surely she will say "pitch". Not so much. She wanted to keep them. The Dr. put them in a little bag and handed them to me. Dad and I looked at each other and laughed. What am I going to do with these, put them in her scrapbook???

Many people were praying for Grace's arm yesterday. Praying that it would be healed and that she would not have to have another cast put on. What an awesome thing it was to hear she was done and this part of our life was behind us. Grace was a trooper though it all, from start to finish. Grace is full of drama and Tim and I thought these last 6 weeks would have been a long 6 weeks. She surprised us and did really well with it and there wasn't much drama. I am shocked at how well it all went.

After the Dr.'s appointment I took Grace to Build-A-Bear. She has been saving her money to buy a dog that she had her eye on. She still needed to save some more money, but decided she had saved enough and thought she deserved it after all she went through. I told her where I was taking her and why. She was so excited. She walked right in to the store, went right over to the dogs and picked out her new friend.

Meet Francis.....

Without the cast.....

Catching up

It has been a busy last couple of weeks. After the broken arm, we had to call 911 for Halle (on Christmas Eve night)! She woke up with croup and after doing all you can do for croup, her lips were turning blue and she was struggling to breath. We went the the ER in the ambulance and left the ER at 3:00 on Christmas morning. Our Christmas plans had to change because not only were we exhausted, but she was contagious. In the end, our Christmas was as good as it could have been. Tim and I just don't remember much of it because we were in a fog and very tired!

Tim was off for 18 days and we all enjoyed him being home. We really didn't get much done or do much, but it was nice to just be together as a family. It was hard on Monday for all of us as he went back to work. This past weekend we went to Geneva to visit my Dad's side of the family. We had a really good time and the girls loved it. It was nice to see family and get caught up.

I came home from our weekend away to a very nice surprise. A friend of my Mom's wanted to bless us with some food and deep clean our house. She felt burdened for us and all we have gone through the last couple of weeks. While we were in Geneva she came over along with my Mom and a good friend of the family and they deep cleaned the house, cleaned the fridge, organized the pantry, cleaned the sheets, and had meals in the fridge/freezer. I just couldn't believe someone would want to bless me like that! On the way home from Geneva, I drove and Tim entertained the kids. I had a lot of time to think. I thought a lot about how dirty some things were in my house, how I felt behind, and how I was overwhelmed. What a blessing it was to walk in to this surprise! God reminded me that He loves me and blesses me when He knows I need it.