Sunday, August 3, 2014

  The Kid Place

I know I haven't been here in ages, but I've realized I'm not keeping track of the goings on of our family like I used to, and I miss that.  I miss the act of documenting our memories, and I really miss going back and reading about what we've done, where we've been, and most importantly, how my babies are growing up.

Remember that little baby girl who had her first birthday in my last post?  Well, she'll be four next month.  FOUR!

How on earth did that happen?  I ask her all the time if she'll just stay little for me forever.  Some days she says yes, other days, she seems really anxious to be a big kid already.

We went to the beach a couple of weeks ago, and after taking some pictures, she and I were lagging behind the rest of the kiddos heading in to change.

I looked down at her little blond haired, blue eyed, tanned skin self and told her she was precious.

She looked up at me and said, "And that's why when you went to the kid place, you picked me?"


Oh, my sweet girl, that's not exactly how it works.  God picked you to be my daughter, and I am thankful every single day that He did.

But, if there were a kid place, and I got to make that choice, I would have picked you over all the other little girls in the world.

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Monday, February 6, 2012

  My Baby Had a Party

Yes, it was a long time ago, but I never posted about her party, and it's almost time for The Boy's birthday, so I thought I better go ahead and do this.

We went with a pink and green theme for Baby Girl's first birthday party. 

We invited our rather large family, and a few friends.

I spent a lot of time planning and making decorations and baking cakes.





My first (and possibly last) attempt at a checkerboard cake.
My sister made an adorable tutu for Baby Girl to wear with her "1" onsie.


My sister~in~law drove three hours with her two sons to be here to help me with the prep work (and bought me a bottle of wine to help me recover after the party).

Baby Girl had a fever and wasn't really all that interested in her party or her gifts. 


But she did tear into her cake.


And she was cute!


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Monday, January 9, 2012

  My Baby Turned One

Yes, it was about 3 1/2 months ago, but I never posted any pictures.

On Baby Girl's actual birthday, I took the easy way out and made cupcakes with canned icing (ick).  I was already planning her party and her birthday dinner at Nana's, so I felt okay with that decision.

I don't think she had an issue at all with her canned icing cupcake!
For me?!?!

If it's mine, why are they holding me back?  And where is my shirt?

Okay, fire is gone, I can dig in!

MMMMMMM!

Did I miss some chocolate?

Sugar High!

I'm 1!

Oh, I get the shirtless thing now!  Bath time!

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Friday, January 6, 2012

  Fours

Today is my birthday. 

I'm 44 years old.

I am one of four kids.

I have four kids.

My son will be four next month.

My oldest child is fourteen.

I think this might be the year of the fours.

John 4:4 ~
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.




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Thursday, January 5, 2012

  Alphabitty Moments ~ C & D

I'm joining Mama Bear in celebrating the little moments in our kids' lives.

I thought C & D would catch me up, but Mama Bear is already on E.  Oh well.

C is for cars.  I've posted before about finding cars all over my house.  It's only getting worse.  The Boy loves his cars.  So does Baby Girl.  She spends much more time playing with cars than with baby dolls.


The little two also share a love of dinosaurs.  If Baby Girl hadn't been napping when I finally got around to photographing dinosaur play, she would have been right in there too.  The Boy is starting to want to learn the dinosaurs names.  Baby Girl just likes to make them walk and growl.


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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

  The Love List 106 ~ 109 Edition I'm Catching Up From Christmas


106.  My Christmas Tree.  Each year, I think I want to update my tree a little.  Add another color to the mix.  Something.  Then I get it all decorated, and I still love the simplicity of the gold, clear glass and white.


107.  Hearing The Teen read Twas The Night Before Christmas to her siblings on Christmas Eve.  A tradition she started on her own.


108.  Being surprised at the Christmas Eve church service when The Boy and his cousin are asked to portray Mary and Joseph.  Aren't they cute?


109.  Being asked to pretend to be a professional photographer for a day.



Note to self:  Next time, no one wears white!


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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

  The Rest of the (Pond) Story

Okay, so anyone who knows me, knows that if there is a group of kids, and one of them does something goofballish (it's a word...look it up, there's a picture of my son) and ends up falling into an alligator infested sink hole, that goofball will be one of my kids. 

And more often than not, that goofball will be The Boy.


The pond is near my mother's house in Georgia, and after I told The Tween about it, and described it's serious spookiness, she, of course, wanted to see it for herself. 

(When we were just dating, my daddy took my now husband fishing in that pond.  My husband swears he truly believed that Daddy was going to kill him and no one would ever find his body.  I've never been out onto the pond in a boat, and I don't know how far back it actually goes.  No one knows how deep it is.)


To appease The Tween, I offered to take her to see it the day after Christmas.  Almost all the kids wanted to go, so Mama, my brother, both my sisters and ten of the dozen cousins, loaded up and went to see the pond.  We explained the importance of staying away from the edge, and we told them of the twelve foot alligator Grandaddy had once seen in that general area.

Some of them listened. 

Others, not so much.


We had been there a while, walked down the bank, found old bottles and flint rocks, took pictures and were just about ready to head home.  I was at the top of the old boat ramp when I heard a splash.  I looked over and saw that The Boy had fallen into the pond. 

Now, if this were a normal pond with a graduated bank sloping gently into the water, it wouldn't have been a big deal.  He would have been a little wet and muddy and cold, but there really wouldn't have been any danger.  But because it is a sink hole, and because the water level was so low (you can see the various water levels on the trees in the pictures), instead of a gentle slope, there was a big drop off.


Before I could even think, The Tween, who was standing with her little brother, had jumped into the water to save him.  She never thought of her own safety, or the threat of alligators, she just knew she had to save her brother. (In all honesty, that water was much too cold for any alligators to actually show any activity at all, but she didn't know that.)



The water was so deep, she could barely stand up, but she managed to push him up so his head was above the water.  She couldn't get him out because she couldn't get a good foothold in the mud. 

My brother and I took off at the same time to run to them.  We could see both of their heads above water, so we weren't too panicked, but we knew we needed to get them out quickly.  He got there just before I did and managed to pull them both out at the same time.

At that point, The Tween, The Teen, The Boy and The Grandma all started to cry.  

I put The Boy in the back of the truck, pulled off his cold, wet clothes and wrapped my coat around him.  My sister gave The Tween her coat, and we put them in the truck to take them home.

Once we got back to Grandma's house, and I got The Boy into a nice warm bath, he informed that an alligator bit his butt.

I now owe The Tween a new pair of boots.  Hers were ruined by the water and mud.  

Her brother just might owe her his life. 

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