Itty Bitty Shoot

Lissy Early took the kids pictures last week. It was quick and low key. I love how she captured their true personalities. Check out her great site: http://www.missprissiness.com/

My Little Diva

Meredith is such a little girly girl. A huge difference from her sister Hannah who is all things not girly. Hannah never had a choice when she was younger. I always put her in dresses, bows, etc. Then she got old enough to say no thanks. Meredith on the other hand loves purses, bows, pretty dresses and playing with her babies. She was so excited when a friend gave her this purse. She immediately filled it up with her play cell phone, chapstick, lotion and all of her money. She is always asking me to take her picture and really hams it up for the camera. It is going to take some thought on how to proceed with the things she wants to do, such as dance class and cheerleading. These really aren't things I have been involved in so it will be a little more difficult to schedule and find out how she can get involved. Hopefully she'll eventually want to get involved with sports, but if not I will try to find activities she enjoys and support her just as much as we do Hannah and sports. Let the tutu buying begin (is that even how you spell it?).

So Sweet

Isn't this just the sweetest picture. It's amazing how they just pick up on these things. We bought Lake tons of 'boy' toys for Christmas, yet he likes to play with his sister's dolls. He truly is one of the most loving babies I have met; always giving hugs and kisses. Don't misjudge him though-he can pull hair, hit and throw things with the best of them.

Only Looks Gross

I'm not neccesarily Susie Homemaker, but I do like to try new things. These fire starters are so easy to make. I put a used egg carton by the dryer and fill up each section with lint from the dryer. Usually one filter fills each section. I then pour candle wax over each section and let it harden. My husband then pops out one section at a time and uses it for a fire starter. These will also be great for camping.

Earning Her Keep

Family Christmas

This year we celebrated Christmas with Josh's side of the family at his sister's house. It was very low key and relaxing. The kids had a great time playing with their gifts. Of course, my husband always has to find something to get the kids riled up. Nothing like a game of lasso during the middle of a Christmas celebration.

Foster is about to be hogtied here. Look at the line forming. Who needs expensive gifts when you have a rope?
No one was injured during the making of this image.

Hannah, Meredith and Lake received a Wii from Grandpa and Grandma. We have had a lot of fun playing the different games.

Random Post While I Have Time

Ok, so this post is going to be very random. I have been so busy lately, that finding time to upload pictures and actually write something about them has been nearly impossible. School is out for winter break and I am trying to catch up on as many things as possible. Today I managed to make it to the post office, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, JCPenney's, McDonald's and an oil change. In between I am trying to catch up on laundry and get some baking done. I think our house is just going to have to be a mess for one day longer. Enjoy the pictures, I'll attempt a narrative for them while time allows.

Our attempt at a Christmas card. Lake loves to pull Merdi's hair. I actually went ahead and used it for the card. No use in staging something!
Our Christmas Tree. The bottom of the tree has to be free of ornaments since Lake thinks everything is a ball these days.

Isn't Merdi just the prettiest little girl? I love her blond hair with dark brown eyes. She had a Christmas program at school and she wanted to look 'beautiful'.

Santa at the winery. What more could a mom ask for? If only Santa could come home with me!

Christmas with the Silvernail's this past weekend. The kids received such awesome gifts. It was so nice to spend time with family.

Lake loved his new Rocket Flyer. Isn't Aunt Jodi so pretty?

Merdi in her new pajamas. Can you tell she likes them?

Not sure what to do with all of the Christmas photos you receive? Punch holes in them and decorate a small tree or two.

Have you been to this blog:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

I recently bought her cookbook and love the recipes. Seriously, should meatloaf look this good, even before it is cooked?

A Beautiful Soul

This past weekend my family visited my sister Julie at the Shrine in Alabama to celebrate her 29nd birthday. This was also her one year anniversary in joining the monastery. Julie is such a sincere, sweet young lady. She believes whole heartily in her calling and you can just see the passion in her when talking. The first time I went to visit Julie, I had many reservations about her joining a cloistered monastery, but I have come to realize that it has nothing to do with me. This is her choice and what she is called to do. If she hadn't wanted me to get married or have children, as I feel called to do, I would have thought she was nuts. So, who am I to judge what someone else wants to do with their life. We were able to have some great conversations and I was glad to see that she just seemed so "normal" for lack of a better word. She is the Julie I have always known, just a little more driven to spread God's message. I also was able to attend a very moving Latin Mass at the Shrine and join the nuns in praying the rosary. It was a great opportunity to reassess where I am in my faith and where I am leading my children in theirs. All in all, the twenty hours of driving in three days was well worth it!

Jeff, Sister Julie and I visiting

Hannah, Sister Julie and I

This picture does not even begin to show how beautiful she is. Plus, you should hear her sing!

Happy Birthday Sister Julie!

My mom and dad drove from Florida to visit. My dad is so proud and my mom is getting used to the idea. It is hard for her to see Julie behind the iron work.

The Sleep Fairy

This blog carnival was started by MckMama. Be sure to click on the Not!Me! Monday link above to check out her site.

I did not tell my daughter that there was a sleep fairy and that if she stayed in her bed all night, the sleep fairy would put a present under her bed each night. But if I had, it would have worked like a charm! She would have slept in her bed all night until about 5:40 when she called out for me. I would have offered for her to come snuggle with me and she would have replied, "No, because then the sleep fairy won't come."

Watch out for the Flames!

Do you ever live through your children? I have to be careful about this with Hannah. I have this overwhelming desire to give her all of the things I never had. There is a such a fine line to be drawn with this. I try to encourage her to try all kinds of activities and to be the kind of person who can be friends with anyone. Eight years old has definitely changed in regards to what goes on. Friendships are so fragile at this age and feelings can be hurt so easily. The amount of bullying is also overwhelming. Hannah and I are continually having the conversation about not worrying about what others think and that there are times not all of your friends are going to get along. This is really hard for her to grasp, but I am lucky because she has chosen to be friends with a core group of really good girls. We try to find ways for them to foster their friendships outside of school, but this can be difficult since you don't want anyone to feel left out.

Recently, we organized a team for the local K-Life Dodgeball Tournament. Hannah and her friends had a blast tie-dying their shirts and practicing for the big day. They wanted to look fierce, but it just didn't work. The Flames were the youngest team in the tournament, but they played their hardest. It was a great day to hang out together and develop friendships with good hearted children and their parents. I know Hannah may not always choose friends that I approve of, but for now I am blessed to have a child who isn't worried about cliques or popularity. She just wants to be friends with everyone and what more could a parent ask for?

What a fierce looking team. We were YouTubing 'Dodgeball' the night before so that the girls had some clue about what they were doing.

Pretty cool looking uniforms though!