The Hairbow Chronicles

No Greater Love

2012-02-14T06:05:00.001-06:00

{I wanted to write about love, seeing as how this is Valentine’s Day and all. Not just because of this particular day, though, but because this topic has so been on my mind lately. I hesitated to even say anything at all. I realize that many relationships are marked by and fraught with violations and transgressions that go beyond the normal course of matters. Those issues are best dealt with by a professional. But if you, like me, often struggle with what it means to love, truly love, then read on…*}

The grocery store check-out line is where I usually get all my up to date celebrity gossip information. One afternoon, my eyes caught a headline that made me particularly sad. Honestly, most of those headlines make me sad.

But I paid for the magazine and read the article at home. If you are anything like me, you look at all celebrity marriages with a hint of cynicism. Or maybe a large, large dose of cynicism. But all too often, and sadly enough, even though they don’t make headlines, aren’t our everyday, normal people marriages going the same way?
We just don’t get along anymore. I don’t love him like I used to. We’ve grown apart. She just doesn’t understand me…

The article stirred up in me a special memory from over 15 years ago that has never left my mind...
I distinctly remember being in the car with my dad that day. He had probably picked me up from school in the little red Sentra, the one with the wedge of wood that was holding up the unusable rear window. I was probably embarrassed as he drove up to the curb, because embarrassed is what you are supposed to be when you are 16 and your dad is picking you up from school in a little red Sentra with a wood wedge holding up a broken window.

Usually in the car with my dad during those turbulent adolescent times there was a silent, unspoken feud between us as to who owned the rights to the radio. Dad was, and is, classical music and opera all the way. I leaned toward rock or country, and pretty typically shunned classical music as a valid form of radio entertainment. I suppose, on this particular day, that I had won the silent feud and managed to finagle my way with the FM, because we were listening to my favorite country station and to my favorite country singer—George Strait.

I was lost in the catchy tune when I heard my dad mutter, “But that just isn’t true! That isn’t right!”

And I peered out of the windows and all around looking for the source of his frustration. That is when he pointed to the radio. The song. It was the song on the radio that had frustrated him enough to speak up. (My dad is a fairly quiet man, and when he does speak an opinion, it is usually wise to listen.)

It was a lovely, lyrical ballad about a man with an engagement ring in his pocket who eagerly asks his beloved to marry him. She tearfully refuses his proposal and begins to explain by telling him that she has tried, tried so hard, to love him, but…

You can't make a heart love somebody,

You can tell it what to do

But it won't listen at all

You can't make a heart love somebody

You can lead a heart to love

But you can't make it fall.

I’m sure, as a naïve 16 year old, I was perfectly happy to accept those facts. You just can’t make your heart love someone. Right?

But my dad’s objections of the lyrical content jolted me. I remember that moment so very well simply because it began in me a clear world-view change.

You CAN make a heart love somebody. Those words he is singing are just not true, my dad had said that day in the car on the way home. Of course, since then it has been a long journey quite often put to the ultimate test by one marriage and two children, but I realize now, more than ever, that love is a choice. I so appreciate my dad’s wisdom that day. When the world sings about love, it is often a very different love than what we experience and understand as God’s children.

When Jesus was talking to His disciples He told them to love one another as He had loved them. He goes on to explain love to them: Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.(John 15) And Paul explained that God’s love for us was demonstrated when He sent Jesus to die for us, though were sinners and wholly undeserving. (Romans 5)

Love, the God-kind of love, requires death.

You realize that, in all practicality, you likely will not be required to die a real, physical death. Most of us won’t be called to jump in front of a speeding train, take a bullet, or be sacrificed for ones that we love. (Even though we might be willing.)

But truly loving someone will require a death of our will, at the very least. Our hearts are bent toward self-gratification and self-preservation. Loving someone requires denying our natural selfish tendencies and putting his or her needs before our own.

The most pure, unadulterated love was shown to me on the cross when Jesus bore all that which was supposed to be mine to bear.

Love bears all things.

So why is love so difficult? I know that it is difficult for me, so often, because I don’t want to bear all things! I don’t want to bear the possible rejection or pain associated with loving fully. I don’t want to hear that I have a responsibility to love even when I am not treated lovingly in return.* I don’t want to hear that love requires full forgiveness or patience or kindness even with its recipient doesn’t deserve it.

How wonderful that our Savior didn’t wait until we deserved to be loved to give love and give it perfectly! I pray that He gives me the ability to love that way, His way.

The world’s way of loving (the “you show me love then I’ll show you love”) is incomplete and imperfect and so often it fails. It fills me with sorrow as I observe “love’s” degradation and impurity. A foundation of love built on entitlement, feeling and self-gratification will always falter. But it makes me more diligent as I think about how I love.

Am I loving the world’s way or God’s way?

Not in this life will I love perfectly, but I am so glad to know of One who does love perfectly. He gave His life.

There is no greater love.

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Sugar, Sugar

2012-02-12T13:08:00.001-06:00

Sweet Audrey Kate has been struggling a bit with nap time. She would like to let it go. Unfortunately, she becomes a raging bull around 5 pm if she goes without a nap during the day. A couple of days each week there is a definite struggle. I want her to take a nap. She doesn't. I usually win.

There are a few occasions, like days she has school or when we have to pick her sister up (during her usual nap time) that can get a bit puzzling trying to schedule her nap. One afternoon last week she fell asleep on the floor watching Curious George with Abby. Abby covered her up with a blanket. Oh, how nice. :)

Audrey Kate woke up long enough to come to the table for dinner, but she just couldn't quite make it. She fights sleep, so I have never seen her tired enough to fall asleep during a meal or any other time but nap or bed time.

Not at all related to that, I bought the girls a cardboard castle a few weeks ago as a birthday present. I intended to hide it until this summer, but when it came in the mail Joe had been out of town for a few days and I really was desperate for a new activity to occupy my busy children.

It is hands down probably the best $20 I've ever spent.

The girls have decorated it all over, and they play inside its walls many times per day. Of course, there are occasional scuffles and skirmishes inside those walls as well. But I live and survive by the motto that "What Happens in the Castle, Stays in the Castle."

If you are not connected with Zulily, where I purchased this, you should be! They have much more than just kids' clothes--they have it all. And great deals, too.

Yesterday I allowed Abby to have some of my Greek yogurt (it's ok, I don't really like it all that much anyway) and unbeknownst to me, she shared it with her sister. Her sister proudly used it as a waxing agent for the hardwood floors, and we didn't know anything was amiss until little sister came running into our bedroom with Greek yogurt smeared on her pajamas.

It just made me laugh, in an oh-my-goodness-this-is-such-a-mess kind of way, to see her footprints in yogurt. It is similar to tracking a wild animal. If that wild animal is a toddler who is really easy to find.

So, I have been oh so good about keeping the sweets and refined foods out of the house these past weeks. My girls love vegetables and fruits. They are great eaters (last week Abby ate raw asparagus for a snack--how weird is that?!), but like me, they will eat any starchy, sugary, cheesy, sweet, or savory food that is in front of them. I just don't want the battle, so I don't buy it.

Yesterday, though, was just a day of sugar. Joe came home from a week long busness trip, after catching the red-eye back to Tennessee, with a box of donuts.

Then the mail came, and the girls had a package from their Aunt Melinda and Uncle Andrew--full of candy!

The candy is a huge hit, Melinda and Andrew!

I know you shouldn't try to buy love.

But a little sugar goes a long way at our house. (Notice the remnants of chocolate donut still on her face. That is how we roll around here.)

And then? I had promised Abby we would make cupcakes for daddy when he got home. I didn't quite anticipate all the other sweets we would have that day.

But she wouldn't let me forget my promise. So, cupcakes were baked. It is a whole new thing having both my girls want to "help" me with baking. There isn't really room for me at the counter anymore!

We topped off our sugary day with some rousing, and only a tad competitive, rounds of Uno. Abby just learned how to play, and she relishes throwing down a draw 2 or a skip card. Her eyes just light up when she wins. But, I won the most. No 5 year old should go getting a big head about her Uno abilities, that's what I think. :)

So now we have to go finish eating all the donuts and candy and cupcakes to get rid of it all. I don't want sugar in the house, but I would hate for it to go to waste! Now if I can only get past Valentine's Day, our 2nd Annual Fondu Family Date Night (or AFFDN for short), in which marshmallows dipped in melted chocolate will be consumed in great quantity, then I can get back to my no-sugar diet.

As you can see, it is going so well!

Milestones

2012-02-07T21:18:00.000-06:00

One or both of my girls pulled some empty DVD cases out of the TV cabinet and left them strewn about the living room and kitchen.

I had the unfortunate joy of stepping over this particular case as I hustled around my kitchen making dinner and preparing snacks and washing dishes and ushering children out the door to the car.

I know you are wondering why I didn't just pick it up and put it away

but there is just something about being blatantly reminded by Jillian's abs not to eat that second cookie that IS SO HELPFUL.

(Also I am not sure that I would rip anything in 6 weeks but a muscle or two. Just an FYI.)

After a few hours of torture I put the case back in its cabinet, and then I ate that second cookie with no remorse.

Plus, how could there ever be remorse in a house full of silliness?

Joe watched the girls while I went to a meeting, and when I came back each of them (the girls, not Joe) had picked a few accoutrements from my closet and adorned themselves.

I snapped these with my Iphone, so they are a bit blurry,

but I had to show you the rockin' shoes that Audrey Kate was wearing.

I LOVE these shoes. Love. Love. Love them. The one time that I wore these shoes they looked amazing. So cute. But OH so painful. Can you believe it?!

I've decided that if I ever wear them again it will have to be to somewhere that I am only sitting down a whole lot. And where someone will carry me to and from that place where I am sitting down a whole lot. But darn it...my shoes will be the hit of the party! The party where everyone is sitting down.

So, this weekend Joe and I decided to have a stay-at-home date night, in which we put the children to bed early and made ourselves a special dinner. The "putting the girls to bed early" part didn't exactly work out as planned, but we turned on a movie for them. It worked out as well as could be expected, with only the occasional interruption from someone wanting a snack or needing help on the potty.

Our dinner might or might not have included Mai Tai's that welled up longing inside me for my beloved Hawaii. I mean, it might or might not have welled up that longing...

But it most certainly did include a scrumptiously grilled steak. If this doesn't make Jillians' abs cry, I don't know what will. I ate it all, without remorse.

Is it appropriate to put steak pictures on the internet? I'm just not sure what the guidelines are on that subject. I hope it doesn't detract from the finer beauties of this post.

At MOPS last week, I won a small book that contained conversation starters for date night. (I'm sure my MOPS friends will be glad to know I put the book to good use!) I pulled the book out as we were eating dinner (steak, to be exact) and came across the question:

Name 5 milestones that you have had as a couple.

and after I asked the question we sat there for several seconds with blank looks on our faces,

because what, exactly, is a milestone? It was such a good thought-provoking question. We talked about the milestones of becoming husband and wife, going through graduate degrees, becoming mom and dad, moving and starting new jobs and making life-changing career decisions, moving again, and making more life-changing career decisions.

But the funny thing about milestones is that they don't always feel like milestones. Not at the time you are living them anyway. I can look back over the past almost 10 years and I know that we have changed. I have changed. I'm not the same person I was when we got married, or even two years ago. These past two years of motherhood and wife-hood and transition and uncertainty have changed me so complexly that I wouldn't, couldn't, take it back.

Milestones are the things that are happening when you are busy living and toughing it out through hard things. You don't always realize you've hit one until it is past.

As we finished our discussion on milestones, Joe left the table and began earnestly looking for something. When I inquired as for what he was looking, he asked if I knew where he might find his "perfect push-ups." (Have you seen these dics with handles that aid in push-up perfection?)

So, let me get this straight. After discussing an important and soul-searching topic, my husband had the need to do some pushups? I totally get it.

Thus ended the tranquility of date night. But all good things end at some point. Especially when a 2 and 5 year old get a hold of some perfect push-ups.

One last thing.

I took Abby outside to get some pictures for her Valentine's Day cards to give to classmates. I will have to share how they turned out--super precious.

Audrey Kate just didn't get what we were doing so she was in just about every other picture, wandering in and out.

Do you see the daffodils springing forth? I can't believe they came out, poor confused things! Well, Audrey Kate was picking them and bringing them to us. Her outfit had me in stitches. Joe dressed her that morning. My family will be happy to know that my husband put her in an LSU shirt. At some point during the day Audrey Kate changed out of her jeans into some pajama pants. When we went outside, she put on Abby's boots. The whole effect is just too much.

By the time I looked up from my photo shoot with Abby, every single daffodil had been picked.

My girl is nothing if not persistent!

Well, I think I've just hit a milestone by finishing this post.

Good job Ellen!

No One Was Harmed in the Making of this Blog Post

2012-01-28T21:23:00.000-06:00

I'm sure it would be easier in some ways if I wrote a blog post every single day. Then I wouldn't be overwhelmed with so many pictures and side stories and over-all general catharsis.

But most days I barely give my computer a cursory glance.

I sat down recently and thought really really hard about why I haven't been good at chronicling our life journey recently, and I came up with 3 good reasons.

1. I'm tired.

2. I'm tired.

3. I'm tired.

And then I realized that I had some more thinking to do. About life in general, yes, but more specifically, about why I might be too tired to blog. So I thought really really hard and came up with 3 good reasons why I might be so tired.

1. I have a 2 year old.

2. I have a 2 year old.

3. I have a 2 year old.

And as you can see, I don't have many original thoughts these days.

(She is lucky that she is so cute.)(And likes to make me laugh.)(And likes to dress herself in clothes that don't fit just because there is a Tinkerbell on them.)

Most days around here are stay-around-the-house kind of days. Laundry kind of days. Wear PJ's and watch a movie kind of days. I have been liking those kind of days (minus the laundry part) more and more. Except when you are still in your pjs and the UPS guy comes to the door at 3 pm. I always feel awkward and like I need to explain to this complete stranger why I am not dressed and haven't brushed my hair...

Anyway, Abby is finally getting interested in reading. I knew she would get it in her own time, but I was inwardly praying that she didn't wait until she was 16 to read Biscuit Goes To School. Reading is my favorite past time and I would like nothing more for my girls to be lovers of books. Abby and I are about to start reading together (or, me reading aloud) the Chronicles of Narnia series and I can't wait. Those are my favorite books of all time, and I remember thinking, long before I had children, how neat it would be to read those beloved classics to my offspring.

Of course, even in my wildest imaginations back then, I am not sure I imagined myself so tired by 7:30 that I couldn't keep my eyelids open. But hey, when you are young it's hard to imagine the sweet tiredness brought about by caring for small people throughout the day. (Nor is it easy to imagine that people are actually awake at 6 am.)(But that's another story.)

In other news, I made a Chinese meal for dinner one night last week. I love this stir fry and I crave it often. But I have a thing for soy sauce, so there's that.

I also feel the need to insert here that whilst I have mentioned thus far at different times being both tired and having cravings, that I am most certainly and definitively NOT pregnant. Just FYI. ok?

Joe left to go out of town this week, so he presented the girls with a going away present of powdered donuts. They were a big hit. We enjoyed them with stir fry and fortune cookies.

Abby's fortune read, "You will inherit some money or a small piece of land."

Should I be worried?

The girls begged to go to the zoo on Wednesday, and since it wasn't too cold, I relented, like the blessed mother that I am. Audrey Kate insisted on wearing her "zoo dress" to see the can-i-mals at the zoo, and I searched for a zoo dress in her closet until I came across this one. She remembered this dress from last summer and it has been hanging in the back of her closet. She showed it to the elephants. She was very proud. (She also chewed on a stick. And I was very proud.)

I call this one: Girl Climbs Tree.

The zoo has a neat indoor play area complete with a dress-up vet office. Audrey Kate took great care of this baby weopard. (That's "Leopard" for all of you non-two year olds.) I Love Love Love that she is wearing red, thick rimmed, upside-down glasses. How charming!

Oh, my favorite thing? This pretend barn with bean bags that look like manure. Awesome!

Look at my children! They are cleaning it up! The girls probably spent 30 minutes with these shovels and buckets, scooping and sweeping and piling. WHY WON'T THEY DO THAT AT HOME?! (Clean up their toys, I mean. Not manure. We don't have manure in our house that I am aware of.)

Also, interesting note for me to remember that just shows how different they are: Abby spent most of her time at the zoo going from each area, exploring the tunnels and sitting on the statues and climbing fence posts and generally just getting excited about everything...except the animals. And Audrey Kate asked over and over about each animal. She wanted to pet them, see them closer, look for a long time and then look one more time. Abby would ask, "Can I please go climb those rocks over there?!" and Audrey Kate would ask, "Can we PWEASE go see the stinky ewaphants?!"

They had fun. A zoo day is a good way to get your kiddos tired out and ready for good naps at home. Oh yeah, it's educational too, and all of that.

On Thursdays when Abby goes to school I have some one-on-one time with Audrey Kate. She can be a whole new child when she is by herself. I took her to lunch with me and then on a quick trip to Target. She was soooo good. I really enjoy those times when I can have time with each girl alone. (We went to McAlister's and yes I drank a large sweet tea. But I am back on my no sugar diet now.)

And now, here we are at this weekend. Since Joe was going to be gone the entire week, I came to spend some time with my in-laws. I don't enjoy being alone for extended periods of time. It is scary and exhausting. Thankfully Joe's parents always welcome us with open arms. Though I am sure they are quite tired after our little tornado blows on through :) We went to say hello to Joe's grandmother (Abby and AK's great-grandmother, in case you didn't get that) who lives nearby. Abby played tea party and served us the most delightful confections and piping hot tea. But anyway, I love seeing the generations together. So sweet.

I took Abby to lunch today and to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D! Whoa! She chose Panera Bread because it has her "most favoritest soup in the world, where you eat it in the bowl made of bread and you can even eat the bowl! Right mom?"

So, during lunch, in the middle of a very crowded dining room, Abby got out of her seat and proceeded to do some interesting gyrating dance moves right next to her seat. The only thing on the speakers being piped into the restaurant was something akin to elevator music. When I asked her what that was all about she said, "MOM! I just HAD to move. I couldn't help myself. My body just needed to dance!"

That is hilarious. And so Abby.

And later on this night, Audrey Kate ate a fake piece of fruit. Because that is just so Audrey Kate.

She's 2.

And I'm tired.

Remember?

For Today

2012-01-17T12:31:00.001-06:00

I think it is any mom's (or woman's truly) eternal struggle to have joy in the midst of circumstances that don't bear up to what we expect. I know that is true of myself.

I can often look around me and only see the crumbs on the floor, the piles of dirty laundry, feel the weight of unmade decisions, and hear the whiny, demanding children

and my initial desire is to react with anger. I feel deserving of better. I feel entitled to ease and perfection.

But the gospel tells me otherwise. What I deserve, and what I have been given, are two very different things.

I deserve God's wrath for my innumerable sins. I deserve death and rejection and punishment.

Instead I recieve pardon, unhindered access to a Holy God, and all of the joy, peace and love that I could ever need.

In light of that, the crumbs, whinyness, unmade decisions, and laundry piles look less like a burden and more like a pleasure and blessing. I get to serve my family joyfully. I have a family to serve! I get to prayerfully make decisions instead of have them made for me. I have enough clothes to wear that they create piles, and I have so much food to eat that a great deal of it falls underneath my kitchen table :)

I pray today to remember that the Lord's great sacrifice on my behalf was ENOUGH.

For today, and every day, it is all I need to be thankful, joyful and blessed.

I pray you remember that today, too.

Hello? Is This Thing On?

2012-01-10T15:49:00.000-06:00

About this time every week I find myself immersed in piles of clean and dirty clothes scattered about my normally pristine hardwood floors. I'm just kidding. My floors are never pristine. I have very good intentions of doing laundry on a more charitable schedule, one that frees up my days a bit to enjoy other things, like the cleaning of bathrooms.

I would like to be able to do one small load of laundry each day, folded and put away. It's not a New Year's resolution or anything. New Year's resolutions are so 2011. But every week it seems as if we are packing to go out of town, or have just gotten back into town (like yesterday), and the laundry situation always seems so much more urgent at that point. Thus, an entire day dedicated to doing the laundry.

Usually it backfires on me, because once "laundry day" is over, I am so burnt out by all the sorting, folding, switching from washer to dryer, hanging, AND OH MY GOODNESS WHERE ARE ALL THE MATCHING SOCKS?!...and by the end of the day I have a distinct parfum de Snuggle...so that it takes me an entire week just to recover from Laundry Day the week before. Usually it is about the time that my husband begins to fret about his lack of clean underthings that I realize I must begin another laundry marathon. And so I sort and wash and dry and fold once more. (Please, is anyone but me driven to madness by the lack of matching socks?) (Out of curiousity, what do you do with socks that have no mate? I remember growing up my mom had a sock basket. It was full of socks, which the name so aptly implies. I guess by the time my younger brother came along, my mom had all but given up on sock sorting. So anytime we needed clean socks we went in search of the sock basket to meet all of our foot-related needs. I haven't yet started a sock basket. I guess I am still too bright-eyed and hopeful and ready to tackle any sock-challenge that comes my way.)

So, if you haven't yet guessed it, today is laundry marathon day at my house. Not exciting at all. It reminds me, as I tackle today's laundry mountain, that my life is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Tell me, if you had a choice between watching paint dry and watching me do laundry--which would you choose? I know, tough one. But it also reminds me that these small things, unexciting as they are, matter a whole lot. Not because I'm special--not at all, but because I get to serve my family. And in turn, they get clean clothes to wear! So neat how that works out :) It also reminds me to be incredibly grateful to the Lord that we have piles of clothes to wear--and to wash. How many people aren't so lucky?

Also, you must have already realized by now that if the best thing I could think of to write about today was laundry, then maybe there isn't a whole lot else going on! Ha! Unfortunately, that isn't exactly true, but there is a time and a place for everything, and this time and place has me mostly silent--even though the thoughts and ideas and schemes and plans and desires and words--are screaming around in my head. But that's nothing new with me.

I have found recently the Internet--blogs and facebook and twitter and the like--to be so LOUD. Everyone has an opinion or a best way to do things or a life that makes me envious or incredibly sad. It has been good for my brain (and my internal ears) to walk away for a bit. I'm sure one day all the scrambled wordy-soup in my brain will come together to form some inspiring and consequential content. Maybe I will share it.

Until that far-away day comes, here are a few things that I have on my radar.

1. Did any of you see the LSU game against Alabama last night? I almost lost my eyeballs watching that. Toward the end I had to flip the channel, since I was too hyped to sleep, and found that Nick at Nite is playing Friends' re-runs. Score! (The one with Pottery Barn and Yester Year? Yes!)

2. I am on a no-sugar diet for... until I eat sugar again.

3. I have lost the ability to keep information in my brain for more than 10 seconds at a time. I keep repeating myself.

4. I keep repeating myself.

5. I got about 2 inches cut off my hair and I can't wait for it go grow out. I am imagining something very Princess Kate-like.

6. Abby asked the other day for details about the Twin Towers and the events of 9/11. After a brief explanation she asked, "WHY did they do that, mom?" How do you answer a question like that?

7. The other night we put Audrey Kate to bed, flipped off the lights and walked downstairs. A few seconds later we heard her yelling, "DADDY! MOMMA! Turn the lights back on! It's too dark in here--I CAN'T BREATHE! I CAN'T BREATHE! It's too dark and I CAN'T BREATHE!!" Obviously she meant that she couldn't see. Her daddy plugged in the night light to help her breathe better.

8. Abby never pitched a fit, not even at the age of two. She never threw herself on the ground and screamed to get her way. Audrey Kate does that many times a day. It is unreal how different they can be. (And by all means, don't read into that that one child is better, they are just different.) One night after I had disciplined Audrey Kate for something, I was talking to her about the sin that it is in our hearts---and that's why we need a savior! She got excited and said, "I have SIMBA in my heart?! YAY!" (We have been watching the Lion King on loop.)

Ok, well the washer just beeped and the dryer is slowing its cycle. Time to go change a load...

Thanks for stopping by. See you next Laundry Day!

Would You Like Some Gumbo With That?

2011-12-30T18:30:00.000-06:00

It is the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana. Think Lousiana and you think jazz, French Quarter, cajuns, beignets, bayous and, of course, gumbo. I grew up eating home-made gumbo, especially during the holidays, and when I found out several family members would be making the trip to my house for Christmas, I had one request--make me some gumbo!

Gumbo can be made a few different ways, but one of the most common ways (and the method my family uses) is to create a thick flour base called a roux. It is the combination of flour and oil--or a fat of some kind--stirred constantly on low heat until just before the flour burns. It turns a deep red.

A leftover smoked turkey is slow-simmered for several hours to create a savory stock to which the roux is added once it is ready.

Vegetables, like onion and bellpepper, are sauted and simmered in the thick broth. Shredded smoked turkey (and/or sausage) is added into the soup and allowed to seep and cook for several hours. The process is long. The end result is a fabulous, tasty broth-soup that, when poured over rice, is a wonderful sensation. It is also a very savory dish. Not for the faint of heart...or faint of stomach, as it were.

I was so excited for my family to come for Christmas, and I spent weeks preparing for their arrival. Washing sheets, pre-baking meals, buying and wrapping gifts, stocking my pantry, and I told my mom before she came that no one, and I meant NO ONE, could get sick while they were here. It seems as though each visit comes with its own mini-catastrophe and chaos, and I decided to have NONE of that this Christmas.

Everything was fine. Wonderful, even. My parents called during the last leg of their trip and said they would be here in 2 hours. All was well.

And then I got a phone call from Abby's preschool.

I should have known! I shouldn't have answered the phone! ha!

She had gotten sick at school. Like, really sick all over, and I had to come pick her up.

And you know the things you tell yourself when you or your child is throwing up? Like, maybe it was just something she ate. Maybe it was a one time thing. Maybe she is isn't really sick!!

But I brought her home and tucked her in bed, and very soon after my parents and my grandmother came through the door and I felt helpless. You can't cancel Christmas, for which your parents had just driven 6 hours and your grandmother had flown in from Louisiana! Abby continued to be sick for the rest of the evening, but felt better by morning. The next day we went to the movies and ate dinner together. My sister flew in from Louisiana on Christmas Eve day and we all attended a Christmas Eve service.

That evening I gave the girls their traditional Christmas Eve gifts: pajamas. Every year I give the same present, and for the past 3 years Abby's reaction has been the same. She gets super excited to open a gift, and when she realizes it is only pajamas, she makes funny faces.

Joe had to explain to her that this was going to be a tradition, and she better get used to it. And also act like she likes it.

I love the precious gowns I found for them this year. Every year it is a challenge to find them matching PJ's that I like. This year I won. :)

Aunt Katie helped the girls make a gingerbread house after dinner. Katie's "what in the world am I doing with this frosting?!" look is presh.

The girls just ate, and/or licked, most of the decorations.

I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but believe me it was quite finished and most definitely NOT falling apart at the seams.

And on to our Christmas morning. It was perfect. Everyone felt great. The girls loved all of their gifts--of which they got very many.

Abby got her snow globe and she was super pleased with it. She told me later that she was so happy Santa brought her a snow globe from New York where she hopes to visit one day. (On a funny note: the snow globe also plays music when you wind it up. It plays "New York, New York" and that was an interesting backdrop to our Christmas morning.)

Audrey Kate found her candy stash and went to town. Nothing like a big sucker at 9 am! (Check out the bed hair--whew!)

After opening a few gifts, we all had a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and sausage casserole, then we went right back to work opening more gifts. It was a busy morning, I tell ya!

Then my in-laws stopped by for a late Christmas lunch.

I didn't take pictures of all the food, of which there was plenty, but I did want to show you this pie. It is homemade chocolate with homemade meringue. LOOK AT THOSE PEAKS! My grandmother is something of a master meringue maker. A meringue ninja if you will.

I tackled a homemade apple pie per Joe's request and even attempted a lattice-work crust.

Right? I am calling it rustic. Oh yeah, and delicious.

Unfortunately this is where my picture-taking ends.

Because do you remember that stomach virus that Abby had on Thursday that by now, Sunday--Christmas Day--we had all pretty much forgotten about? Well, it came back.

And it slowly, over the next two days, took turns with most of us.

Obviously my Christmas break plans with my family did not turn out quite how I had planned. There was no girls day out or day after Christmas shopping or late-night card games. I just tried to keep the bathrooms clean and enough towels and blankets for everyone to be comfy.

Plans just go awry sometimes, don't they?

But the greatest casualty of it all was all the food! It nearly broke my heart to throw away so many delicious leftovers that no one had the ability to eat.

And the gumbo.

Oh the gumbo!

My mom and sister still made a valiant effort at making the gumbo since we had all the ingredients. I have it stock-piled in my freezer. But there is one thing they don't tell you about gumbo in the recipe book.

It is much more delicious eaten with people you love. Especially whilst watching some sort of Louisiana football on TV.

Unfortunately, the people I loved were not up for eating the heavy, oily soup. I don't blame them. Gumbo is not for the faint of stomach, remember?

I think, like my mom said, we are just going to remember Christmas 2011 as "that Christmas when..."

That Christmas when we all got a stomach virus. That Christmas when Aunt Katie locked us all out of the house. That Christmas when Ellen didn't get her gumbo night.

You know, that Christmas.

But still, we were together. We had hands to hold our hair back and bring us washcloths and pour us ginger ale and feed us crackers.

So, Merry Christmas to us.

And a Happy New Year to you.

{Cheers to good health in 2012!}

Lions, Tigers, and Puppies, Oh My! {And Angels and Fudge, too...}

2011-12-20T19:15:00.001-06:00

5 Days til Christmas! Really? That makes it Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve.

And is my guest room STILL full of unwrapped presents and tape and scissors and wrapping paper scraps??

Yes, it is.

But ya'll, I made the best fudge in the entire world tonight (tell you about that later) so I am too happy to be stressed about unwrapped presents! Fudge will do that to you.

SO, lo and away about 5 days ago (because I am just very much behind) Abby played the part of an angel in her school Christmas play.

She had two speaking lines, and she said them with great aplomb and drama.

The whole play was super cute. It was just about the birth of Jesus, which I love. I am so glad they didn't feel the need to throw in a celebration of Santa Claus and candy canes. Those things are fine and all, but Christmas is all about Him.

My favorite part was when the little girl who was playing Mary got extreme stage-fright before the play had even begun, and she cried buckets of tears on stage and pleaded, "I just want to go hooo-ooome!!" until her parents finally escorted her away. No, that wasn't my favorite part, I felt awful for her, but it was right after that the teachers quickly dressed up another little girl as the new "Mary"--we said it must have been the understudy--to play the part. And she played it so well one would have thought she had been practicing the part of Mary all her 4 tender years of life.

She was a natural Mary.

The cuteness abounded copiously, and I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. And the tears from the corners of my eyes.

I love this precious girl. I love how sweetly she is growing up. I love her generosity and fearlessness and dimply smile. I am so glad that the Lord gave her to me and allowed me to be her mom. It is a blessing, and she doesn't know it, but she teaches me so much every day!

Yeah, well, on to daughter #2! ha! She teaches me so much, too, just in very different ways :)

She's sun and rain, she's fire and ice, a little crazy, but it's nice. But when she gets mad, you best leave her alone. 'Cause she'll rage just like a river... (NAME THAT TUNE!)

That about sums up my sweet Audrey Kate! Her love in recent days is all things Lion King. She has made these three stuffed animals--tiger, puppy, and lion--all a part of the unusual play she lives in called, "The Wion King." The puppy is Simba, the Tiger is Scar and the actual lion is "Wion King's Daddy" because I guess she can't remember his name is Mufasa.

These special friends are with her while she is sleeping and waking. And if one of them is missing she will call for it. "Wion King's Daddy, where awre you?"

I'm just gonna tell you right now that Miss Sun and Rain missed her nap today, and by the time 4 p.m. rolled around, it became very obvious.

She got tangled up in some packing tape.

Oh, I helped her get it off allright. Right after I snapped a few pictures.

DID I MENTION SHE DIDN'T GET HER NAP TODAY?

Anyway, where was I?

Oh yeah, FUDGE.

Right after I put little Fire and Ice to bed early, Abby and I snuck down to the kitchen and sampled this fudge I made. Oh Word. Oh my. Just so good.

Pretty easy to make and sprinkled with sea salt. Right? Just try it. The Pioneer Woman hasn't failed me yet!

I also poured Abby her first glass of Egg Nog.

I think she liked it.

I liked it, too! It goes really well with fudge :) The brand name of the Egg Nog I bought is Southern Comfort. (non-alcoholic, of course.) Now I have that song in my head. Carry on, Carry on, sweet southern comfort, carry on... (Man, I'm having a country music kind of night!)

Well, good friends, I am taking my Egg Nog and fudge up to the guest room that is full of wrapping paper and unwrapped presents,

and shall begin working on putting the two together in some semblance of cuteness. Wish me luck.

Cheers!

A God Who Gave

2011-12-15T06:11:00.001-06:00

I love this time of year. There are so many opportunities to serve and give.

Abby's preschool arranged a field trip to a nursing home, where the children sang a few songs and gave the residents home-made Christmas cards.

{Poor quality Iphone pic}

I took Audrey Kate with me, too, and she stood with Abby while the children were singing.

Sweet. Sweet. Sweet.

In other news, I have been a baking fool these past few weeks. Cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies, pot pies, gingerbread cookies, casseroles. Some of it is frozen for when my family comes for Christmas. Some of it was made just to give away.

In fact, right after the nursing home performance, since my girls were already dressed so Christmas-y,

we strolled across to our neighbor's home and delivered some goodies to them.

I haven't been the best of neighbors this year, I'll admit. We are living in a rental home, so establishing relationships with people I won't live near for long seemed unnecessarily exhausting. I was wrong, though. It's always right to at least make attempts to get to know others, even if we have very little in common.

Our neighbor, a sweet "young-ish" grandmotherly type, invited us right in and gave us the tour of her home. We met the aging father for whom she is caring as he enters the end stages of his life. The girls played with all the toys she had out for her young grandson. We found out she loves watching the birds eat from her feeders, and that her husband and son tend honeybees in the backyard. I had no idea! She gave us a gift of some fresh honey.

I ask myself the same questions about this time every year. I ask myself questions about giving and what it means.

I wonder who I am trying to please.

So much of my giving this time of year, and at all times, can be selfishly motivated. I can wrongly assume that my giving is enough to satisfy God and appease His anger towards me for all the wrong I have done.

But if I am not righteous, as the Bible cleary states, and God is righteous...

If I am not holy, and God is holy...

If I am not good, and God is good...

If I am not worthy, and God is worthy...

If I am incapable of loving on my own, and God is love...

than how can any gift that I give be worth much, if worth anything at all?

Well, it isn't. Not compared to the lavish genorosity and overwhelming mercy of an all-knowing and all-powerful God. He saw me in my lowliest state: unable to save myself from wallowing in selfishness and unloving attitudes and bitterness

and He reacted with compassion and love. He GAVE.

He gave his son Jesus, the baby that would one day be the great sacrifice for the sins of man. For my sin. And yours.

It certainly isn't something I deserve, what with all the wallowing and unkindness and self-serving I find myself drawn toward. I have nothing to give. My hands are completely empty.

But when I find pleasure in the hope of Christ and find joy in the gift of salvation

I can't help but want to be giving, as He has been giving toward me.

Because I have come to realize that it isn't necessarily the tangible gifts that I am giving to others that please God, but it is my heart dedicated to trusting Him and wanting Him above all else and seeking to serve Him

that pleases Him.

It is such a wondeful thing to be able to give gifts at Christmastime, and at all times throughout the year. I love the look on my children's faces when they receive a good gift. I love teaching them about giving and serving others.

But I can never, no matter how hard I try, out-give my need for a Savior. I can never out-give my own sinfulness. I can never out-give an awesome God.

And as much as I want to teach my children about giving and serving and kindness toward their neighbors, I mostly want to teach them about the One,

the helpless baby, fully God and fully man, who was sent specifically to give.

To give us life, to give us hope, to offer forgiveness and restoration. To point to our sin and to remind us that, alone, we aren't good. To tell us that with God, all things are possible. To bear the wrath of punishment for our sinfulness. To die and live again because death wasn't strong enough to kill Him. To love us undeservedly and spur us on toward becoming more like Him as we walk our life's path.

To give us, wretched sinners though we are, a Redeemer.

I pray that any gift I give this Christmas beat with that same pulse.

Of a God who gave. A God who gave. A God who gave.

Tender Tennessee Christmas

2011-12-13T21:12:00.002-06:00

Did anyone else's husband brave the crazy masses on "Black Friday"

and the next morning hand you a box of brand-new plastic containers and say,

"You would not believe the deal on got on these bad boys!"

And then proceed to give you the play-by-play of his midnight adventures??

JUST ME?!

(And yes, I was the sane one who went to sleep instead of shopping.)

I guess my husband had gotten fed up with the cabinet in our kitchen that holds all the containers, their lids, and any other assortment of items that find their way in.

I agree that it was becoming something of a hazard, since every time we opened the door

something fell out on our heads.

You'll be happy to know that I finally used his gift this week and cleaned up my containers cabinet.

I wonder how long it will stay this way?

Sunday night we took an impromptu trip to Dollywood. We have season passes that expire at the end of the year, so we wanted to catch a visit before then. I have grown to really like Dollywood, and it is most definitely neat at Christmastime.

Look, it's two of my favorite people! Joe is in the picture, too.

HAHAHAHAHA :)

We stood in line to see Santa Claus, since there were so few people there. Frosty and Mrs Frosty and some other dressed up girl were in front of us, waiting to see Santa. I never could figure out what they were doing, but the girls liked it!

Audrey Kate talked a big talk about giving Santa a hug and sitting on his lap, but when it came time for her to go, she just stood there and refused to move. I had to sit there and encourage her.

The best picture we got (and this was the park's picture) was with me holding Audrey Kate in my lap as close to Santa as possible.

She didn't want to be anywhere near him, but he was a sweet Santa, with a real Santa beard.

Abby asked for a snow globe and a reindeer.

I love that her requests, so far anyway, have been either the most simple things in the world (like a flashlight) or they are just utterly impossible (like a reindeer) ha!

She has been consistently asking for a snow globe for many weeks. I think that is the sweetest thing. Joe was in New York a couple of weeks ago and he found one for her there. Won't that be great?! A snow globe from NYC---that city is what I think of when I see snow globes, for some reason.

I don't know why.

We saw a show at Dollywood where they sang "Tender Tennessee Christmas." I hate to admit it made me a little weepy, and also that song is stuck in my head.

OH I know there's more snow up in Colorado, then my roof will ever see. But a tender Tennessee Christmas

is the only Christmas for me!

Now is it stuck in yours?

Feel Free to Call Me a Domestic Diva

2011-12-10T18:25:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I get on a roll and I just can't help myself. I am not by nature a very creative, do-it-yourself type person, but now that I have young children, who love to be creating and making messes and getting their hands dirty, I try my best to oblige.

In a few different places, but first on my friend Adrian's blog, I found this "recipe" for making mini bird-feeders. The recipe looked easy to follow and, crazy enough, I had most of the ingredients on hand: bird seed, corn syrup, unflavored gelatin, water and flour mixed together and pressed into cookie cutters.

We used Christmas cookie cutters to give it a holiday feel, and I know a few relatives and neighbors who might enjoy a specially made bird-feeder for their yard!

You just skewer a hole in the top and let the feeders harden for several hours.

Then, tie them up with twine and they make a neat gift! {But make sure to tell your husband that they are not, I repeat NOT, cookies.} {Not that I have any experience with that whatsoever.}

As if that wasn't enough crafting for one morning, the girls and I read the book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats,

and made snowmen from cut-out circles. We added marshmallow scarves and m&m buttons. Just for kicks. {Don't you love that Abby gave Audrey Kate's snowman a frowny face?!}

And after lunch, the girls and I (or mostly Abby and I, since Audrey Kate + scissors = disaster) cut snowflakes out of tortillas, baked them for about 4 minutes, and dusted them with powdered sugar.

Like a homemade funnel cake! :)

Wait! Did you think I was all done? Oh no my friends. A true Domestic Diva's work is never done.

After dinner last night, Abby begged me to make some gingerbread cookies with her. How could I refuse? I think that gingerbread men are exceptionally cute, but I am not a fan of the strong spices found in gingerbread cookies.

I just left out 3/4 of the measurements of the strong spices: allspice, cloves and ginger. {Which pretty much means, I realize, that the cookies we made might not *exactly* qualify as gingerbread cookies, per se. I am cool with that.}

I actually thought the dough turned out delicious that way. It was very mild and creamy and ginger-bready but not overwhelming. Even Joe got in on the dough-rolling action.

A great mess, I mean fun, I mean mess, I mean fun was had by all.

I ate only one of the cookies--a gingerbread girl with a hairbow. Sweet, right? And as I am looking at that picture... that is A LOT of icing, Ellen. Geez.

Abby's gingerbread man made me laugh hard. Doesn't he look horrified? (Maybe it's that awful pink dress he is wearing?) (And are his eyes bleeding?) (Oh dear, isn't it terrible that I am making fun of a 5 year old's cookie?)

I decorated a few more to freeze and give as gifts later this month. Yum!

Seriously, what is cuter than a cookie with a bowtie??

Ok, well, lots of things.

Those bowties are pretty jaunty, though.

So, that's how I spent the day as a Domestic Diva. I won't mention that I never got out of my pj's or how I went to bed with flour in my hair. You will only know about the amazingness that is...me.

And now that I have inundated you with thoughts of sugarplums and gingerbread and sugar and butter and all things delectable,

I would like to direct you to this post by my sister that I enjoyed very much.

She recently, over the past year, has lost a bunch of weight through

WHADDA YA KNOW?!

diet and exercise. *Gasp*

It's been really cool to watch her journey and to see her self-control and attitude and many good things grow as the rest of her shrinks. I am super proud of her, and if you (LIKE ME!) need encouragement or advice on how to stick with it,

then you should read what she has to say.

And then go bake some cookies. And then go exercise.

In no particular order.

That's what a Domestic Diva would do!

And seriously, if you want to begin referring to me as "Domestic Diva Ellen" or "Your Diva-ness" or "Your Great and Unyielding Paragon of Domesticity"

or some other variation on that theme,

I am cool with it! :)

My Christmas Tree and I Are Not On Speaking Terms

2011-12-06T18:20:00.001-06:00

I love that it is December already, but I just can't believe how fast this year has passed.

Isn't that what we say every year about this time?

My girls love all of the Christmas decor, and so far I have only superglued 7 figurines and ornaments. So, all in all, much better than last year :).

I went out on a limb and ordered Christmas cards this year! Yes!

or NO?

I was seriously counting down the days until they arrived. As soon as I opened the package and read through the card, I just knew I couldn't send them.

The layout looked great, the pictures looked great.

But in one small spot, where I wrote our personal Christmas greeting, the font was so small I could barely read what it said! Can you believe that?? Good thing I got a good deal on them!

So, if you were on my Christmas card list, and you probably were, just know that I would never send you a card that you had to read with a magnifying glass.

It is one of my personal convictions.

As if the Christmas card kerfuffle wasn't enough, my Christmas tree has decided to wage war against me.

And, ladies and gentleman, I don't go down easily without a fight.

This particular tree was once owned by my in-laws and given to us a couple of years ago (for which I am thankful. Truly.) and I am sure that at one point it had lights that worked. Each year a different strand of lights decides to stop working, thus giving me the pleasure of climbing around inside the 10 foot monstrosity in order to locate the corresponding plug. I have had to re-light the entire tree with approximately 25 separate strands of lights.

Some of the battle was of my own making, I must admit. We only have this one tree up this year, as we have no room for any other trees, and all of our special ornaments are on this tree.

My original thought was to decorate it with a "silver/white" theme, which, in theory, sounds lovely and enchanting.

But in practicality, after I had decorated it up with all the silver and white I could locate,

I stepped back only to find that my tree looked just like a giant, leafy green bride on her wedding day.

THAT WAS NOT WHAT I WAS GOING FOR.

(I so wish I had taken a picture of the gargantuan Christmas bride for you to laugh at me about. I really do.)

So, I changed tactics and went for a browns/neutrals/earthy tones theme, and I am enjoying it much better.

But next year---this tree is on the curb. (But SHHHHH. Don't say anything. I'm afraid in its vindictiveness the few remaining lights will myseriously shut down and the tree will de-ornament itself.

You don't know this tree.

It is capable of all manner of wickedness.)

Speaking of wickedness--wicked awesomeness, that is,

I spent most of the day today baking the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for Christmas. It has become a tradition for me, and I LOVE it.

It just for real takes a lot of work.

But don't they just smell heavenly??

I had some help, of course.

Probably a little too much help.

Though when it came to the cleaning up, my two little "helpers" were no where to be found.

We also had the first snowfall of the season tonight. It wasn't much of a snowfall, but the girls were dying to put on boots and gloves and hats and run outside.

The frivolity was short-lived, however, since Audrey Kate ran straight for the road, following her sister.

Ahh well.

Time to cozy up inside, anyway. There's a pan of freshly baked cinnamon rolls calling my name.

And a vengeful Christmas tree to gaze upon.

Really, could it get any better?

Dull Moments

2011-12-04T16:14:00.001-06:00

I've made no secret of the fact that Audrey Kate has been a bit of a challenge

at the tender age of 2.

Sweet, sweet, sweet.

And challenging.

I have to set the stage for this short video clip. It is just too funny not to share. Joe and I were sitting in the living room watching Titans football and engaging in conversation. (I know, right? Two things that aren't really supposed to go together.)

Audrey Kate was playing around us, but then she got quiet. Too quiet. You moms of 2 year olds know what I'm talking about.

Joe reluctantly got up to look for her--we could hear rustling sounds in the kitchen--

only to find that she had gotten my make-up bag from my purse and was dabbling in some eyeliner.

He brought her into the living room and laid her on the floor, all the while holding her hands so that she wouldn't touch anything. Before we cleaned her up, I just had to take some pictures.

Without further ado, ladies and gentleman, I would like to introduce you to my 2 year old:

Never a dull moment?

Not at my house!

A Problem Free Philosophy

2011-12-03T15:12:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, when I am feeling really ambitious,

I invite people over to my house for fun and frivolity.

In this case, it was some friends of Abby's from her preschool.

I always imagine when I have little girls over to play that it will be calm, quiet play with dolls and tinkly laughter.

But no. It was loud and raucous and lots of shrieking. But that's just how it is, and it is very neat to watch them have SO MUCH FUN together.

Each of Abby's friends has a two younger sisters, so there were three 5 year olds, three 2 year olds and two newborns playing here yesterday.

Among many other things, we decorated sugar cookies. Messy? Yes.

SOOOO yummy? Yes.

While decorating and eating the cookies the girls were the quietest and calmest they had been all day!

I just love watching little girl friendships. One of the many reasons I so enjoy having daughters!

Today we went to the downtown Knoxville area just to enjoy the day.

We found a fun general store where we browsed around and shopped. Abby played the part of confederate soldier--coon skin hat and all.

And the girls rocked in rocking chairs.

I have to laugh because I spend all week long telling them, "No, you can't have that." And, "Put that down, you have plenty of toys!" And all manner of other protestations.

But Joe comes home and wanders into the toy aisle and finds things he thinks the girls might like and showers them with love and fun.

He gave Audrey Kate a Raggedy Andy doll--so cute, right??-- but then, of course, Abby had to have something, too.

After searching the entire store, literally, she ended up choosing:

a coke? Well, nothing beats the real thing, I guess.

We walked the streets some more and Abby found a "waterfall" that she just had to see.

She offered to get a family picture of the three of us!

I came across a cupcake shop, and I am a sucker for a good cupcake. I have especially been in love with gingerbread men this year. And that entire last sentence sounded strange, I realize. But they are so cute, am I right?

It was, in fact, very delicious. I had some help eating it. In case you were wondering.

For the piece de resistance of the afternoon, we visited the World's Fair Park and took a journey to the top of this brass ball. When Audrey Kate craned her neck up and saw it perched atop the tower, she squealed, "Ooooh, a ball! I wanna hug it!....But, it's too big to hug, momma."

She's funny.

We got a nice view of the city, and it was a great day out for playing and exploring. Now we're at home praying that LSU beats Georgia so we can just MOVE ON already from the most stressful season of LSU football EVER.

I finally caught Audrey Kate in a fun, cooperative mood, so she willingly sang her favorite song for me.

Hakuna Matata friends!

Naughty or Nice

2011-12-01T18:45:00.001-06:00

Hey Ya'll, I thought you might want to know

that my Christmas tree is wearing a hairbow!

25 Days Til Christmas!

25 Days to get back on the Nice list. =)

Two Little Turkeys

2011-11-23T09:48:00.001-06:00

Everyone keeps saying how it feels like this Thanksgiving has crept up on them,

and I feel the same way.

Being sick last week put a halt to some of our plans.

It's ok, though. We are excited to spend time with family and give thanks together!

I've been busy keeping up with my two turkeys.

Audrey Kate is a climber, for sure. She is also T-R-O-U-B-L-E, all day, every day.

She makes me earn my stay-at-home mom salary. (In fact, I hope to recieve a Christmas bonus this year.)

Even the sweet workers at our last MOPS meeting were a bit astonished by her. As all the boys and girls were outside playing, Audrey Kate decided that she would rather be in the sand box, which just happened to be on the other side of a pretty tall fence. That didn't stop her from scaling the fence and helping herself to some sand play! She knows what she wants---and she WILL find a way to get it.

While that personality trait might serve her well later on in life, for the time being, it is frustrating and keeps me on my toes.

Like last week when she used Abby's dresser drawers as steps to climb up to the fish tank and dump an entire package of fish food in with the poor (hopefully hungry) fish. Or the countless times a day I find her in the bathroom "brushing her teeth" or "washing her hands" in the sink.

Or when she wants something out of the refigerator?

Why, she just takes it herself.

She is such a MESS! An adorable, cuddly, sweet mess who asks me a dozen times a day,

"Mommy, will you be my fwiend?"

and says things like, "Mommy, I wuv you berry, berry much. OK?"

As for my other little turkey....

I decided this year to make a Thanksgiving Tree, and I decided to make it from things I just had around the house.

We went outside to find branches in the yard, and since there was a complete lack of fallen branches on the ground...

we took a few from the trees. Abby had her own methods.

We placed our branches and cut out a few leaves from construction paper.

It turned out just fine, but next year I am going to use some sturdier branches. (Good thing Abby is starting to grow in her adult teeth--she might need them!)

I love being able to have a visual reminder of all that we are thankful for.

We have so much, none of it that we deserve.

I am especially thankful this year for the kindness of a Heavenly Father

who continually reminds me through His word that, in Christ, nothing I do can separate me from His love.

I pray that you all have a marvelous Thanksgiving!

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly {But mostly the ugly...}

2011-11-21T20:13:00.001-06:00

But at least I will start off with the good.

Last Last weekend--the one before the one we just had--stay with me here--

we spent a weekend in Far Far East Tennessee--the East after you pass Knoxville.

Joe and I got a little time to ourselves, which is rare and so great when we get it,

to meander the tiny, historic town of Jonesborough, TN.

It is known as Tennessee's oldest town, and lots of historic things happened there. I promise, that is true.

So we meandered and browsed the antique shops and I took lots of pictures because I wanted to tell you all about it.

A gorgeous day, a gorgeous town, and a delicious lunch

that I have since forgotten what it was called. Except the olive tapenade relish that was goo-ood.

Some antiques are great and so interesting...I would totally have them in my house.

And then there is this:

(I considered getting this for Joe's birthday. Whadda ya think?)

And some are just plain creepy.

Nevertheless, we had a great day, especially after we went back to Joe's parents' house and watched LSU football in our pj's.

The next day was church day and more football in pj's.

Then we came home.

All was well, right?

Until Joe dragged himself in the door Monday afternoon and collapsed on the couch with fever and chills.

That man is never sick, so I know it is bad when he actually acts sick...as in: goes to bed and doesn't want to move kind of sick.

Abby was so sweet when she saw that Joe wasn't feeling well. She asked him about 100 times what she could get for him, and she insisted on carrying him his tray of dinner.

I think that is the sweetest picture. Just the evidence of her servant-heartedness. She loves, loves, loves her daddy.

You probably know where I am going when I say that Joe fell ill. Because when one person in the family drops...

they all start to drop.

First went Audrey Kate.

And when Joe was still running a high fever 3 days later,

we all just assumed he must have the flu.

I spent all day Wedsnesday cleaning and doing laundry and organizing and Christmas shopping. I knew--

I just KNEW--that when I fell ill (not IF but WHEN)

then it would be nice to have all things organized.

My house was spotless when I went to bed Wednesday night...

and I woke up Thursday morning with fever and chills.

That's right, momma got sick. And guess who was out of town? My husband and only helper.

I was really feeling sorry for myself, and after taking Abby to school on Thursday morning, I went straight to a doctor to get some meds. I did not want to spend 3 days suffering if I could get a flu anti-viral or something. Anything.

(But, also, sitting for an hour and a half in a waiting room to see a doctor while attempting to entertain a 2 year old while also nauseated and feverish? No Fun.)

Surprisingly, it wasn't the flu, but some other infection. But I got some meds, picked Abby up from school, went home

and went to bed! For several hours we all slept--and it was wonderful.

But ya'll, Friday was a hard day. Joe was still gone and I was still sick and my girls (even AK who had on and off fever during the week) were acting crazy. I tried lying on the couch in our finished basement while we watched every movie we own. Some of them twice. But I only got jumped on and an entire bottle of water poured on top of me and crackers got crushed into the floor.

Our basement/playroom is now an official disaster area.

When you are a mom

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SICK DAY

or even dignity while you are sick, for that matter. Ha!

(P.S. Mom, that LSU snuggie really came in handy that morning. Thanks!)

I was elated when Joe finally came home, but I couldn't move from the couch to tell him that. He immediately took Audrey Kate to see a doctor (and she now has her own arsenal of medication), then he went off to the store to gather some other much needed items.

When I emerged from my sick-induced fog on Friday evening, thanks to some good old-fashioned antibiotics,

I was astonished to find my once squeaky-clean kitched looked like this:

Yikes! One day of being sick and this is what happens. =)

But you will be happy to know that we are all now well or on the way to being well. My illness was extremely short-lived compared to Joe's, mostly because I got medicine immediately. But men can be stubborn like that, right?

I'll never forget him sitting at the kitchen table in his suit and tie getting ready to go to work, looking like death, with shivers so bad he could barely talk. He was about to walk out of the door as if he could actually accomplish anything in that state. "I don't get sick," He muttered.

Well, maybe only once every 3 years, but yes dear husband, you DO get sick!

We spent this past weekend resting and getting affairs back into order. We even felt so good on Sunday that we brought all the boxes of Christmas decor down from the attic, and put our tree together.

And then we realized that made us exhausted,

so for now the Christmas tree has no lights or ornaments,

and the boxes are a really awesome make-shift fort.

(Abby spent all afternoon in there. She, by the way, is the only one of us to escape the Grant Family Plague 2011)

Sometimes I wonder why God allows us to be sick.

To remind us of our frailty?

To give us a new appreciation for our health?

Maybe both, maybe neither.

Either way, I am thankful to be well and to have access to medicine and healthy food that can help my body in the resoration process.

I am thankful for my health.

In life we will always have the bad and the ugly.

But the good outweighs it all.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Too Short {And a Give-Away Winner}

2011-11-09T13:02:00.000-06:00

Can we pweese go see de puppies and de kitty-ca-ats? Pweese momma?"

So my 2 year old asked me as we walked into the grocery store.

A pet shop is situated next door to the grocery, and Audrey Kate couldn't help but notice one of her favorite places to visit. Normally I would say no, but not today.

Today was a special day, whereby mommy was home alone for 3 hours cleaning and making beds and swiffering floors and scrubbing counter tops. Any opportunity mommy could get to keep the girls out a bit longer---thereby keeping her house clean in the process---was welcome.

So after grabbing a few necessary items from the supermarket (Including, but not limited to, some flowers Abby begged me to buy for her daddy...)

{Here are the flowers Abby arranged on his bedside table. Upon getting home and noticing the bouquet, he exclaimed, "Wow Abby, I don't think anyone has ever gotten me flowers before! =)}

Anyway, after the grocery store we sauntered on over to the pet shop.

The first item on the girls' agenda was to obtain a small cart each and push it around the store gasping about every animal/rodent/insect/reptile that they saw.

In fact, that was the only item on their agenda.

Ok, so the ferrets are cute.

Audrey Kate makes me laugh pushing around this cart. She is a danger to all the animals/rodents/insects/reptiles in the store.

(And there is always an unfortunate crash. At least it didn't involve an over-turned fish tank. Or worse--snake tank! YIKES.)

I must be a glutton for punishment, because we somehow, someway left that pet store with a new Betta fish for Abby. How did that happen?? (Our last one only lived 2 weeks. Anyone wanna take bets??)

As we were buckling into the carseats, I informed Abby that her fish was a "Double Tail Male" Betta fish---a boy fish.

"Aww! I really wanted a girl!" She said. Then she sighed, "OH well, I guess daddy will be happy. Now he won't be the only boy in the family!"

Yes, dear. I'm sure your father will be quite pleased.

She decided to name the fish Jack--after Jack and the Beanstalk. I told her I liked the name, but I was going to call the fish "Beanie" as a nickname.

"NO! Mom, No way! The fish's name is JACK. Did you hear me? JACK...

Jack Wildur Beanie Grant, that's his name."

So Jack Wildur Beanie Grant (who I also feel like should have a "the third" after his name) is currently awaiting transfer to his new tank.

And if you are a woman expecting a small boy child, and you are just racking your brain for a great boy's name, I truly hope that you put Wildur on the top of your list. (Or Beanie.)

The weather was so nice when we returned home that the girls played outside. I turned around to find Audrey Kate dancing atop the deep freezer with Abby's bike helmet on her head.

I really, really love that child. You know what, though? Two has been a hard, hard year for her. And also? For me, as well.

And Abby climbed a tree. (She is immensely proud of herself for that fact.)

And yay! for a great MOPS give-away, and for the opportunity to work with MOPS International in reviewing and giving away one of their books.

The winner of the give-away is comment #16: Sara. I will email you Sara to let you know that you are the proud new owner of MomSense: A Common Sense Guide to Confident Mothering, by Jean Blackmer!

Thanks to all who entered!

Now ya'll go and find yourself a tree to climb, or a bike helmet to wear,

or a fish to call Beanie.

Life is too short not to!

Life Is Good Today

2011-11-07T14:59:00.004-06:00

Abby lost her second tooth yesterday evening, and when Joe mentioned that the Tooth Fairy would probably bring her a whole dollar during the night,

Abby put her hands on her hips and declared, "No! I want a quarter!"

Joe chuckled at her indignance, but before he could answer her, she sighed, "Ok, how about a nickel?"

That might be the first and last time she demands less than what is offered. The Tooth Fairy should take advantage while He (or she) can! Right? Abby woke up with 4 quarters under her pillow, and no tooth, so I think everyone was satisfied.

After Abby went to bed with the recently-displaced tooth tucked securely under her pillow, Joe and I began to wonder what we should do with all of her teeth. I promise you I will not put a toothless picture of my child up every time a tooth makes its exit, but we were facing a conundrum, of sorts, about what to do with them all.

While I was googling something like, "what to do with all the missing teeth," Joe was talking to me about something he had seen--a necklace for lost teeth.

That snapped me out of my google-induced stupor! Yikes! A necklace made out of lost teeth?? What are we, tribal cannibals?!

Well, turns out what I heard as necklace he said as keepsake box, or something like that. But still, could you imagine your parents presenting you with a necklace of all your lost baby teeth?? EEEEK!

I am also having a hard time imagining that we need to keep ALL of her teeth, but I understand the importance of at least keeping the first one. I equally couldn't imagine being presented with a box of all the baby teeth I lost as a child. What do you do with something like that, besides wonder if your parents are off their rockers?

So, do any of you have suggestions for keeping a baby tooth--just one? And don't mention any necklaces, please!

Well, today was one of those very rare days that, when they come along, I try to take advantage of them.

I slept well and until a decent hour, I had nothing on the calendar, the weather was perfectly splendid,

I was somewhat caught-up on the laundry (Gasp! I know, right?) and my house was pretty clean. For my standards, anyway.

After I went to the gym (Yeesh! Exercising after vacation and being out of it for 3 weeks is HARD!) I took the girls to picnic and to play in the park.

We took our time over lunch, and played (and got filthy) in the sand. Abby mastered the monkey bars--and wants you all to know about it.

The girls climbed and played and had a great, albeit dirty, time.

We ended our day with Sonic cherry slushes and a vanilla diet coke and the windows open driving home. Fabulous! It is supposed to get colder later this week, so I am happy to take advantage of this rare convergence of events that allows us a

do-nothing, relaxing, no agenda,

good day.

Happy Monday!

And go here to enter the MOPS give-away!

Geaux Tigers! {And MomSense: A Giveway}

2011-11-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

{Critical Post Update: LSU won their game! yay!
and also,

my hair never did fall around my shoulders in soft waves. Oh well.

You can't win them all.}
---------------------------------------------------
It's Game Day today and I am so excited I'm about to bust!

Maybe you've had your head in the sand, and didn't know that my team, the #1 LSU Tigers, are playing silly old Alabama tonight!!

No big deal, right??

Those are two good teams, so I sure can't predict who is gonna win,

but I am happy to be cheering alongside the cutest little Tigers fans EVER!

(Ok, well, technically they will be in bed during the game. But still.)

I didn't want to disappoint the LSU family and not have my girls wearing purple and gold today!

I sure wish I lived close to some Tiger fans, but this is the closest I'll come. (And don't worry, I have plans to force Joe into an LSU shirt later today.)

(It's so fun to take a picture with two squirmy children.)

(Also, I curled my hair this morning hoping by later this afternoon it would be falling around my shoulders in soft waves. I don't have high hopes.)

IN OTHER NEWS, not related to football...

I was recently contacted by MOPS international to read and review a new book, Momsense: A Common-Sense Guide to Confident Mothering by Jean Blackmer.

I love MOPS...which stands for Mothers of Preschoolers if you aren't familiar with the organization. I am indeed a mother. And I do, indeed, have preschoolers, so I am uniquely priveleged to be a part of a MOPS group. It has been a neat place for me to form relationships and get to use some of my talents, especially as we have moved to new cities. All of the women in MOPS are right where I am in terms of mothering young children.

They get it.

They understand why I might have spit-up on my shoulder or a small spaghetti-sauce handprint on the leg of my jeans. They get why I am running late or have dark circles under my eyes from a sleepless night.

Often, they are the first to celebrate a new pregnancy or bring meals after the birth of a child.

MOPS has been a blessing to me in many ways. A place to minister and a place to be ministered to.

Jean Blackmer describes momsense as your unique mothering intuition and your commen-sense forming together to create your specific mothering personality. We are all different, and even given the same basic set of facts, we can all come to differing conclusions about what is the best way to mother our children.

I definitely believe that to be true in many ways. Even within a Biblical framework for parenting, our choices for our family in how we discipline and our parenting style can differ based on our personality and our child's personality.

MomSense gives practical tips on ways that a mom can think more critically about her mothering, but also how our natural emotional tendencies (as women) can be a benefit to our mothering! I especially enjoyed the chapters on respect and self-control. The author consistently repeats that these two attributes are best taught to our children through modeling, and I am in firm agreement that our children learn a great deal from our behavior as parents.

I am happy to be able to give away a copy of MomSense: A Common-Sense Guide to Confident Mothering! You will find good advice on many different aspects of mothering, such as being consistent, maintaining perspective, and keeping your sense of calm and joy as you parent.

In order to enter the give-away, just leave a comment telling me why you also love MOPS!

{And if you aren't in MOPS, just leave me a comment that says "GEAUX TIGERS!"

because we all know you want LSU to beat Bama tonight!! Right??}

You can enter a second time if you announce this give-away on Facebook. Just leave me a second comment telling me that you have done so!

Happy Winning.

And

GEAUX TIGERS!

(If you are in the Knoxville area, you can check out the Two Rivers Church MOPS group, that I attend, here!)
**Give-away ends Tuesday/midnight EST.

The Most Magical Place on Earth {Day 6: Magic Kindgom Revisited}

2011-11-04T17:33:00.000-05:00

Our last day in Orlando we went once again to Magic Kingdom.

This visit was much more relaxed and laid back.

While Abby and Joe rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for the last time,

I thought Audrey Kate might enjoy meeting Tinkerbell and some other fairies.

I guess I was wrong.

At one point she simply freaked out, refused to go anywhere near the nice, pretty fairy

and when I knelt down beside her to talk some sense into her, she jumped onto my back! Like a monkey!

I had to get my sister to pry her off.

I think that is the first, and hopefully the last, time I will ever be embarrassed in front of a fairy!

Audrey Kate finally relented a bit and gave Tinkerbell a small-ish hug.

We rode some of our favorite rides again, like this one: The happiest cruise that ever sailed. (It's a Small World.)

We found someone to take a picture of all of us together.

I was laughing afterward and telling them, "Ya'll the entire time we were taking those pictures Audrey Kate was licking me like a puppy!"

I was interested to see how they turned out! ha!

(Here I am, getting licked. Nice.) 2 year olds are wierd.

I spent some time hanging out on Main Street, which I have never done before, and watching some of the characters, like these talented gentlemen.

Audrey Kate finally fell asleep in her stroller mid-afternoon, but right before she fell asleep she was playing with my sunglasses. She slept for 2 hours with my sunglasses on upside down. Too funny!

For Abby's special Disney gift she cajoled Joe into buying her this custom-fitted princess tiara. Only the best for our little princess, right?! Ha!!

She loves it, and now that we are home, she still wants to wear it every day.

It was such a fabulous trip---an exhausting but fun-filled 6 days. I can barely think of one thing we didn't do, we packed so much into our time there.

I'm still catching up on laundry, and I'm still tired. I think I left my brain at Disney because this week, taking Abby and Audrey Kate to school one day, I forgot Abby's lunch and I took Audrey Kate into her class with only one shoe on. (The other shoe was left in the car!)

Hopefully my brain will return soon. I need it to function properly.

Maybe I'll just have to go back to Disney to find it? Oh well, I could handle that!

The Most Magical Place on Earth {Day Five: EPCOT}

2011-11-03T18:04:00.002-05:00

I don't think that I could pick a favorite day from our trip, but this one was up there at the top!

We visited EPCOT (which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, in case you didnt know.)

As many times as we've visited Disney, we have never been able to make a character breakfast, as they reserve very quickly. I was a bit more on the ball (ha!) this time and managed to reserve a breakfast for the day we had already planned to be at EPCOT.

We got there EARLY. The girls were a little groggy while we waited to enter the park.

We asked Audrey Kate to stand by her sister and get a picture. She refused.

I love these succession of pictures, because she is in the background obstinately shaking her head "no"

while Abby is standing dutifully front and center, posing for the camera.

Oh, ya'll, I think 2 years old is going to be the death of me.

Audrey Kate finally acquiesed.

The coolest thing about being to the park so early (our reservations were for 8, and the park didn't open publically until 9)

was that it was totally empty.

It was so worth it just to have the park to ourselves for a few minutes.

Of course we stopped and got pictures.

And the girls ran free.

Our breakfast was at the Arkershus Royal Banquet Hall

where we were greeted by Belle

and joined at our breakfast table by Snow White,

Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella

aaaaaannnd The Little Mermaid.

She was my favorite. She asked Abby if her little mermaid doll had a dinglehopper so she could get her hair brushed. (I'm not sure all the dinglehoppers in the world could tame that wild mess!)

Here is my silly family in front of the EPCOT golf ball, as Audrey Kate called it.

My sister joined us for the princess breakfast. I think she needed to connect with her inner princess, too.

After breakfast we changed clothes and went back into the park (another advantage of getting there so early---an amazing parking space! ha!)

Abby was so happy to get out of her "church" dress and into some "real" clothes (ie: Hello Kitty).

One of my favorite parts of EPCOT is the Finding Nemo area.

They have a great ineractive kids area and a really neat aquarium/sea-life viewing.

My favorite were the seahorses, and we also watched them teaching tricks to the dolphins. I could have spent more time there, actually, but we moved on to several of the Innovention stations that we could walk through and test ideas and see how things work. The girls, especially Abby, really enjoyed those.

Every day around 1 or 2 Audrey Kate would fall asleep in the stroller and take about a 2 hour nap. It was then someone's turn (or we would take turns) watching her so the big people could ride the big people rides.

My poor sister has some pretty intense motion sickness issues, so she volunteered on several occasions to watch the girls for us. There are so many rides that Joe and I have never been on together, or that I just skipped, because we've never had anyone to hang out with our kids. So, it was so fun to be able to ride Soarin' together.

(Though I felt pretty bad when we got off the ride and found out that AK had woken up screaming while we were gone. Poor Aunt Katie!)

While we were there we tried to do as much as possible, but EPCOT is huuuggge.

I love being able to stroll through the different countries and taste the different foods. One of our favorites is the shops in Germany. Joe and I really want to buy a handmade cuckoo clock for our next house. They are beautiful.

I think the highlight of the day, especially for the girls, was our dinner at the Garden Grill.

The food was fabulous---and ALL you can eat! Oh yes! The restaurant slowly rotates while you eat.

I think Abby and Audrey Kate enjoyed seeing these characters even more so than seeing the princesses.

(Here is Mickey taking a bite out of AK's head! ha!)

They had the best time hugging Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale.

Audrey Kate just loved Pluto.

One favorite moment was watching Audrey Kate eat dessert.

I mean, who wouldn't love that face??

Dale came by and made fun of her messiness.

But I don't think that she was one bit ashamed.

Such a fun night with the family!

We stayed at EPCOT to watch the fireworks show, Illuminations: Reflections of the Earth.

But like every good thing, this day had to come to an end.

We had some tired kiddos (and parents, aunts and uncle) to get home to bed.

But I already can't wait to go back!

The Most Magical Place on Earth {Day Four: Universal and Harry Potter}

2011-11-02T17:05:00.001-05:00

Before I start with recapping our trip to Disney (and the side excursion we took to Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure)

I want to discuss Halloween at the Grant house.

So many things. So many things.

First of all, we left Abby's Cinderella costume somewhere in Orlando. Also, in all of our recent travels and with having company, I completely did not prepare for Halloween at all.

I debated whether or not to tell Abby that it was Halloween that day, but she ended up figuring it out and INSISTING upon trick-or-treating and handing out candy. She was beside herself with excitement. I broke the news to her that we had no costume, but that didn't stop her. As you can see, she came across this Cowgirl Jesse get-up from last year, and it is way too small. That also did not stop her. At the very last minute it was pointed out to me, by a certain 5 year old, that we had no trick-or-treating candy sacks, which was a very true statement.

That did not stop her. We just used Easter baskets instead.

Why not?

It was with glee and utter abandonment that these girls went begging for candy, accompanied by their father (as their mother stayed home and ~~surfed the web~~ cleaned the kitchen).

On a totally un-related note, I keep eating mini candy bars and I DON'T KNOW WHY!

So, now back to the portion of this blog where I discuss our recent trip to Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure, home of the very much anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The butter beer was good, very good.

As were the Every Flavor Beans from Honeydukes candy shop. I bought a chocolate frog but still haven't eaten it yet. Soon, though, very soon.

Oh my! Do you see someone new and interesting in this picture?! Yes? It is my sister Katie, who flew in from Louisiana (if you didn't figure that out from her shirt) to join us on this last leg of the trip!

Yay!

Behind us is Hogwarts castle.

At first, we were not sure if we would like Universal. It was crowded and hot and a bit expensive. It just isn't Disney. But by the end of the day when the crowds had thinned out and the sun had gone down, we found that we had a ton of fun. The Harry Potter rollercoasters were great--and the ride through Hogwarts castle was fantastic.

We all rode together (minus Melinda who was watching Audrey Kate) on the wild and wet river raft adventure. We got super soaked, and then Joe, Katie and Andrew took the plunge on this log ride.

Do you think my family are LSU fans???

That's all the pics I got from our day at Universal---and most of them with my Iphone.

But don't worry, I took about a million at Epcot, and you will get to see them all tomorrow.

Excited?

Of course you are.

The Most Magical Place on Earth {Day Three: Magic Kingdom}

2011-11-01T15:42:00.000-05:00

I don't know if my brother and sister-in-law will ever truly forgive me for what I made them do the day we went to Magic Kingdom.

You see, one of my favorite things to see at Magic Kindgdom is the opening ceremony. Mickey and Minnie drive in on a train, with all the princesses and friends, and everyone sings and dances. It's just unbeatable, in my opinion. But the catch is, you have to be there early. Before the park opens.

So we got up early and got ready quickly and made it into the car and drove 5 minutes down the road when we realized we had forgotten our camera. And what good would Magic Kingdom be without a camera?!

By the time we made it to the parking lot we had 10 minutes until the park opened. So, we did what any overzealous Disney-goers would do in that situation.

We ran.

Joe pushing a double jogging stoller and me chugging along behind. And behind me, holding a coffee and a bag of clothes? Andrew and Melinda. Running.

We ran the entire mile to the monorail that would take us to the Magic Kindgdom gates. I barely slipped in the same car with Joe.

Melinda and Andrew got lost in the crowds of people behind us.

And you know what was happening when we rode up in the monorail? Yes! That's right! The last few seconds of the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony that we had missed, by about 5 minutes.

Darn that camera!

Magic Kingdom was still a pile of fun. How could it not be? It is Disney magic at its finest.

I love how when you are there you feel as if you are in another world.

Abby met THE REAL Captain Jack Sparrow (who looked amazingly like Johnny Depp, ya'll) and she was inducted into his band of pirates.

She also rode Thunder Mountain Railroad over and over and over. With her hands above her head!

I love these pictures of the Teacups.

Do you see us in the blue teacup?

Well, Joe spun that teacup like a mad man. I am sure Disney has never seen the likes of us, spinning like we were.

We were going faaaast.

I love these action shots.

Thankfully, everyone was laughing, and nobody threw up.

We rode all the rides, some of them twice. My favorite ride in Fantasy Land is Peter Pan.

I also like Pirates of the Caribbean.

While Audrey Kate napped I parked her stroller on Main Street to take a break, when the parade just happened by me a few minutes later. I laughed that I was so upclose and personal to all the characters, and one of my children was sleeping while the other was off riding Big Thunder Mountain once again.

Oh well, I enjoyed it alone.

Melinda had an ornament made by the glass blower. So neat to watch!

Needless to say, we were all exhausted by the end of that full day---and our brisk early morning run.

Andrew and Melinda had their honeymoon at Disney, and they just celebrated one year on Sunday!

Congrats guys!

Thanks for running with us, like crazy people, to see the opening ceremony that we didn't even get to see.

Your valiant efforts will always hold a special place in my heart.

On Day Four of our Magical Tour, a special guest will join our group. I wonder who it might be?!

The Most Magical Place on Earth {Day Two: Animal Kingdom}

2011-10-31T08:09:00.000-05:00

When Abby was 2, about the age Audrey Kate is now, we took her to Disney. I had been a good mom up to that point and not let her watch TV or movies, but when we decided to go to Disney I thought she should at least know who some of the characters were that she was going to be seeing. I mean, that is pretty much what Disney is all about. So, I borrowed some Disney movies from friends and we watched the princesses sing and dance and meet the prince. We watched Pinocchio get into a heap of trouble. We watched Dumbo fly. We watched Woody and Buzz try to make it back home.

But most of all, we watched Nemo. He got lost, he got found. He got lost again. He got found. Again.

And again. And again.

The highlight of our trip that year was seeing the Nemo musical at Animal Kingdom and seeing Nemo at Epcot.

I haven't been such a good mom the second time around. Audrey Kate can quote the words to some of her favorite episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba. She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

But the first movie she ever sat through the entire way, from start to finish, was The Lion King. And we have watched it again. And again. And again.

At the top of her lungs she will sing, "I just can't wait to be King!"

One of her favorite moments, that she won't remember I'm sure, was watching The Festival of the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom. She sang all the words and clapped and danced. It was fun to watch. Abby really liked it, too. I highly recommend the show if you ever visit.

I didn't take many pictures at Animal Kingdom, and we got there a little late (the park closed at 5) so we didn't get to do everything there.

One of my favorites is the Safari tour which gets you a really upclose look at several animals. Elephants, giraffes, lions,

these horned deer-like creatures that Abby snapped a picture of.

The four adults took turns riding Expedition Everest--such a fun roller coaster. We rode it several times.

Audrey Kate met Pluto.

She finally warmed up to him enough to give out a hug.

We rode this whirly dinosaur ride with the girls, and Joe and Abby danced to the beats of an African band.

I didn't take many pictures this day, but I have always liked Animal Kingdom each time we've gone there. It is not really like a zoo, as many people assume. You really have to plan an entire day there to do everything. The roller coasters are great fun---but a little scary for small kids (even if they meet the height requirement.) The Nemo show and the Lion King show are great. It's Tough to Be A Bug is cute, and we rode the Primevel Whirl--mildly entertaining.

And then, of course, you can just wander the paths and view many interesting species of the animal world.

We ended our day there early and went to dinner at Chili's with my brother and his wife. (Melinda and I shared the fajitas. Did you need to know that?)

Then we all headed back to the condo to get some rest for our next day of fun--Magic Kingdom! Or as Abby calls it, "The REAL Disney!"

The Most Magical Place on Earth {Day One}

2011-10-30T16:29:00.002-05:00

It takes about a hundred hours to plan for a family vacation and approximately another 100 hours to wash, pack and organize to actually go on the vacation. And then?

Blink.

It's gone.

Months of anticapation and preparation for this blink of time and that feeling of sadness while you are driving home that it's all over. Over!

If you haven't visited here before, or are somewhat new to this blog, you might not know that Joe and I went on an amazing trip to Kauai, Hawaii in May of this year--without our children. We were definitely due a vacation involving the entire family, but sitting down to plan a family vacation that includes activities for a 5 and 2 year old is complex. Joe is fair-skinned and my kids don't really like the sand--so the beach was nixed. A trip out west? Well, I'm not sure a 2 year old would care much for the beautiful mountain vista views, and I am sure she couldn't do any rafting or horse-back riding. Nix. New York and a Broadway play with a 5 and 2 year old? NIX. An 18 hour over-seas plane ride? With a 2 year old? DOUBLE NIX!

So our vacation idea brainstorming sessions always came back to one place: Disney World. It is a driveable distance for one thing, since 2 year olds, strollers, car seats and airports just don't mix well. Also, there is something at Disney World for everone, right? If you are a kid at heart, that is. And I am, most definitely, a kid at heart. Or, as Joe teased me the entire week, I am living out my princess dreams vicariously through my children.

That might or might not be true.

{Excuse me while I remove my princess tiara--it's making my head itch}.

You must know that I never, not even once in my deprived, sad childhood, even one time, visited Disney World. My 5 year old daughter has now been there 4 times! ha! (And also, my childhood was neither sad nor deprived. Except for the glaring lack of magic. And princess tiaras.)

Before we left, since I knew a 10 hour car-ride was ahead of us, I put together backpacks for the girls full of activities and markers/crayons. I thought it would help cut down on the clutter in the car. I surprised the girls with the backpacks right before we left.

Abby loved it and she kept calling me the best mom ever!

Audrey Kate thought hers was pretty cool, too.

She chewed on some things.

Did an interesting gymnastics move.

Chewed on some more things.

I will take that as a "you're the best mom ever" from her as well.

And ya'll, the car ride was not that bad! We left in the early afternoon, so Audrey Kate slept from about 10 minutes after we left until almost dinner time. We stopped and stayed over night in Lake City, FL before continuing on the next day.

The DVD player is a must for us on long car rides.

Abby put her drawing untensils to good use also. She handed me this alarming drawing at one point and I just had to ask what it was.

"It's Audrey Kate."

That made us laugh a whole lot. Though I can definitely see the resemblance.

We technically spent our first day at the outlet malls near Disney, but I'm not counting that as a Disney day.

Ice cream is a great pacifier for restless children. Also, it is messy.

But worth it.

Our first Disney park day was spent at Hollywood Studios. This isn't my favorite park, but there are lots of fun things to do. We visited some Disney Junior characters...

(Abby and Handy Manny are sporting a similar hat. Also, Audrey Kate was super engrossed in looking at the characters all the time that we hardly got a picture of her face the entire week.)

....and watched the Disney Junior Live On Stage show--which the girls loved.

And, I accidentally washed my favorite shorts with an ink pen. I've had them since college ya'll and they still fit. #So sad. I wore them anyway.

(Those pictures are in the "back lot" section of the park.)

Joe took Abby to ride the Tower of Terror, and it was the mistake of a lifetime. As the name so aptly implies, it is a terrifying ride that kept her from wanting to ride anything else afterwards. So parents, don't take your 5 year olds on the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios. Ok?

I rode the Rockin Roller Coaster with Joe, and while Audrey Kate napped the guys all went to see a spectacular stunt show. Or so I hear that it was spectacular. I was too busy watching a sleeping baby and googling LSU VS Alabama to see who might win this Saturday's game. EEEEEK.

ANYWAY,

one of the most exciting parts of this trip was that my brother Andrew and his wife Melinda were coming!! YAY!

They met us at Hollywood later in the afternoon. The only ride with a long wait was the Toy Story Midway Mania, but it was worth it. (Normally we would get to the park first thing and get a fast pass for this ride, but we were too late and the fast passes were all gone!)

But it's much easier to wait an hour in line when you have help entertaining your children.

It doesn't take much.

It was finally our turn so we divided up into teams of two.

Audrey Kate and her paci cracks me up!

Melinda and I totally dominated.

I snapped this picture with my Iphone during the ride.

We stayed late to watch the Fantasmic show and then headed home.

We didn't have as much time as we had planned at the park, but since we have been before I can totally recommend the Indiana Jones stunt show, the Beauty and the Beast show, and we also rode the Backlot Tour and liked it.

So, that concludes our day one portion of this trip.

Fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be one heck of a ride!

Well, if you like slow rides that don't really go anywhere, have no theme and never end.

For the Record

2011-10-21T08:18:00.000-05:00

Time flies when you are having fun.

I've barely given a second thought to blogging anything these past few weeks, but I wanted to throw some pictures on here. Just for the record.

Joe and Abby went out of town for a night, so Audrey Kate became my little helper. She absolutely insisted on vacuuming up her spilt cereal while also wearing an oven mitt. Too cool.

My parents, and even my brother Andrew and his wife Melinda, came to Knoxville to watch UT play LSU last Saturday.

We had the best time. I don't have any pictures of my family. Why?

Laziness. Too busy cleaning and cooking. Pick your answer.

This is a picture of LSU about to score the first touchdown. (The first of 5). And yes, LSU won!

Geaux Tigers!

I was disappointed when I forgot to take a picture of Joe and me with the stadium in the background, but when I looked closely at this picture I realized the stadium was reflected in my sunglasses. So there.

While my parents were here we went to the zoo. It was a magnificent day. My mom rode a camel with Abby.

My mom also rode the train at the mall with Audrey Kate. Wow, who knew grandmothers would be so handy to have around?

(Another quality photo brought to you by the iPhone.)

Abby likes to raid my closet and come out pretending to be me (complete with under-things and all).

I'd say she got pretty darn close.

We spent another gorgeous fall day at my Uncle Bill and Aunt Jeanie's cabin in the East TN mountains. I don't have many pictures from there either. (Besides this interestingly random shot of a tree--a nice tree--and the side of their house.) I say it is a "cabin" but it is perfectly decorated and every detail is planned. It is what any retreat into the mountains should be. Lovely!

So that's it.

And I've learned 2 lessons from this post.

1. It's hard to sum up what fun and happiness fills my heart to have my family around.

2. I need to take my camera with me and actually document our time together.

Anyway, I hope you learned some lessons from reading this post, too!

Happy Friday!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2011-10-12T14:16:00.001-05:00

I love hair cut days.

It's my chance to sit quietly, drink coffee, and catch up on celebrity gossip via the People Magazine.

I took a "before" picture but forgot to take an "after" picture

so I apologize that I must leave you with that image permanently etched in your brain.

After preschool I brought Abby back to get her haircut also. I love, love, love her long blonde hair, but it was getting a bit ridiculous. Her hair was giving a whole new meaning to the word tangled.

Outside of the hair salon there is a fountain that the girls insist on checking out. (And subsequently jumping off of.)

When we walked in the first thing Abby saw were these mannequins with colorful hair. "I WANT MY HAIR TO LOOK LIKE THAT!!"

(Here Audrey Kate is pretending to get a hair wash. I maintain she is still too young for such luxuries. Can you believe she is over 2 and has never had a haircut??!! Her hair is absolutely perfectly shaped and curls so sweetly at the ends.)

Abby talked the throughout the entire process and wanted to know each and everything that our hairdresser was doing before she did it. She just had to help with the hairbrushing.

And since they were out of the oh-so-popular and trendy hair feathers, I let Abby have some of that color she so desired.

At least it is purple in honor of the LSU Tigers...

and the big game against the Tennessee VOLS this weekend.

(Apparently the color will wash out in the shower. Abby has asked me not to wash her hair for 3 months. Wow. That's a long time!)

It's amazing what a little haircut will do! It feels great to be so pampered. =)

The Whole Tooth, and Nothing But the Tooth

2011-10-09T18:29:00.000-05:00

Abby lost her first tooth this week! I can't believe it! I keep telling her that she is too little to be losing teeth and I am just going to put that tooth right back in.

She was really concerned about the Tooth Fairy taking her tooth away. Abby wanted to keep it, but we assured her that the Tooth Fairy would bring it back to her one day when she was much older.

All she asked for was a quarter, so she was pretty pumped to recieve an entire dollar from the amazingly generous Tooth Fairy.

This whole week I have been coming across various renderings of our family in different places throughout the house.

These are just but a sampling of Abby's amazing sketches.

One of the biggest battles Abby and I fight daily has to do with clothes. If she could choose every day she would wear a tutu with leggings and some flip flops, regardless of the weather or where we might be going. Sometimes I have to put my foot down, and she is having to learn the hard way that mommy's word is law. I let her dress to her little heart's content the majority of the time.

She makes me laugh. I love that she thought she was cute stuff in this outfit! That girl cracks me up. (Oh, and the shirt is totally not even ours. We found it in her drawer. It is a size too big and I have NO recollection purchasing it. Where did it come from?? I know I'm not lucky enough to have clothes spontaneously begin appearing in our drawers!)

Audrey Kate is not to be outdone in the fashion department by her big sister. It is of no wonder that my brand new lipstick is now a blob of mush.

This weekend we decided to take advantage of the weather and spend a day at Cade's Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Park.

The weather was gorgeous! The girls spent the slow scenic drive with their heads out the window.

We stopped and explored some trails and old homesteads and streams. (Isn't my family cute?) We ran and frolicked and fell and scraped our hands and caught falling leaves and found little fishes in the streams and over-all enjoyed the lovely Fall day.

My I-Phone pictures can't really do God's beautiful nature very much justice.

There are quite a few things to be said about East Tennessee, but you certainly can't say it isn't beautiful, especially in the Fall!

Riding an Alligator

2011-09-30T07:29:00.000-05:00

It was a good week.

It was a busy week.

I could not tell you anything about what we did that made it so busy,

but I felt busy.

Maybe because it was a good kind of busy and not a panicked-rushing-around kind of busy. I did lots of laundry and cleaning and sat for hours at the park because the weather was A-MA-ZING. We had dinner outside and lunch outside and played outside. We had playdates, and last night Joe was in New York so the girls and I had pizza and movie night. The new Gruffalo movie is pretty cute if you haven't seen it.

I had 5 hours on Tuesday to myself and ended up at the mall (I HAD to go to make a return for Joe--HAD to) where I tried on clothes for an hour

BY MY SELF. Wahoo!

I've felt a little under the weather this week so I declared it a take it easy kind of week. And when I say take it easy, I mean "eat whatever I want to and don't exercise." Man! I am going to pay for it next week.

It was an I didn't take many pictures kind of week. (The pictures, had I taken any, would have been of me eating and not exercising. Who would want to see that?!)

But I have a couple of favorites.

Abby's costume came in the mail. It is the one she is taking with her to Disney when we go in the far-away, not-so-distant unspecified future.

She wanted to try it on immediately, and to make it more fun (and fulfill the girly nature inside of me) I fixed her hair and make-up.

I will never forget her at the bathroom mirror applying my old rouge to her entire face saying, "I just can NOT keep my prince waiting at the ball! Hehehe!"

To which I replied, "Oh yes you can, sister! You keep that man waiting as long as it takes."

Because we all know that any good prince will wait on his princess.

And any good princess is worth the wait.

(Unfortunately Joe was in there to bring us both back down to reality, but OH WELL. A princess can dream can't she?)

(Abby, I mean Cinderella, you have lipstick on your teeth! ha!)

Thursday, while Abby was in preschool, Audrey Kate and I went BACK to the mall for yet another return. I definitely don't spend that much time at the mall, I promise.

It's a long story

involving a new shirt that still had a security sensor attached, a husband who was rushing to get to the airport, and I am pretty sure a hammer came into play.

However, I ended up with the dirty duty of explaining to the sales lady why a large hole was in a brand new shirt,

but the sales clerk was very apologetic about the whole thing.

My girls are enthusiastic about moving stairs and such, so we can't walk through the mall without riding on them.

Audrey Kate, who is 2 and has the funniest way of saying some words, repeatedly asked me to

"ride the ele-gator!"

And I looked around and around for an alligator that she wanted to ride

until I understood that she was asking for a ride on the escalator.

But ele-gator it is and ele-gator it always will be.

We also had fun eating chinese from the food court and cookies from the cookie shop (Man! I'm gonna pay for this week!) and petting puppies at the puppy store.

*And I might or might not have had another Pumpkin Spice Latte.*

It was a good week,

It was a busy week.

I wouldn't trade these days with my girls for anything.

What are your favorite things this Friday?

Gonna Put You in Trance With This Funky Blog

2011-09-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

Do you know what I would give to go back to my pre-teen and teenage years and live them over again?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact, someone would have to pay me to do that, and I'm not sure there is quite enough money in all the world. (Well, maybe there is. We can negotiate later.)

But how could you put a price on braces and stringy hair and knobbly knees and boys running up behind you to pull your bra strap?? It's priceless I tell you. Priceless.

I distinctly remember a boy approaching me in 6th grade homeroom with a big grin on his face. "You're pretty!" He announced, laughingly. Before I could grin and coyly say, "AWW, thanks." He added, "Pretty UGLY!" And ran off giggling with his cronies. I am sure that is enough to melt an 11 year old's heart into a puddle. And I can't remember if that was before or after he snapped my bra.

Yes, those are the years that boys and girls struggled to mix well. (In fact, sometimes I wonder if anything ever progressed from there.) It's funny to look back, though I don't think it would be funny to actually GO back. Not that I have a choice in the matter, since time marches on and all.

I've recently discovered the joy that is Pandora Radio. Through it I can search songs that have been long forgotten in my memory. The girls and I love having random dance parties, and it was during one of our hip hop sessions that Pandora played a song by New Kids on the Block.

And if I may, please allow me to enlighten you a little about my obsession with the New Kids on the Block.

I had posters.

I had stickers.

I had pins, buttons and magazines.

I begged my mom to buy every Tiger Beat with those dreamy hunks on the cover.

I slept in a sleeping bag with The New Kids on the Blocks' faces plastered across the front.

I had all of their tapes and knew all their songs by heart. And in the days before CD's and Ipods, I spent countless hours playing and rewinding and playing again.

I had a "behind the scenes" video that I watched over and over to the point that I knew all of the words and learned all of the dances.

(I'm pretty sure my parents committed a crime by not allowing me to attend a concert.)

I shed tears, streaming down my face with gulping sobs of grief kind of tears, at the mere thought --THOUGHT-- of them breaking up and never making a new song together.

It was love back then, and it was good.

Sometimes,

only sometimes,

wonderful things come to an end and good things must be left behind. And so went my New Kids on the Block obsession.

But when Hangin' Tough came on the radio during our groove session the other day, it completely took me back. I was a weepy, crazy-eyed pre-teen drooling over Danny, Donnie, Joe, Jon and Jordan. (Jon was my personal fav. Hearts!)

I think I felt like my mom probably did when she introduced me to The Beach Boys and The Beatles.

I squealed, "Girls! This is the music mommy used to listen to ALL THE TIME!" They jumped around and giggled and danced, and I actually listened to the lyrics of the song for the first time since,

oh,

ever!

Wait. Did he really just say he was going to put me in a trance with this funky song?!

Did I really think this song was awesome and rocking and melted my world?

Oh dear and precious Ellen-who-was-once-eleven. (Who, I might add, was wearing stone-washed, tight-rolled jeans and lots of hairspray in her bangs. Yes! I am talking to you home girl.)

I'm just glad I've made it this far.

But it's ok, though. I still got on the floor and did the New Kids dance.

You know, just for old times sake.

If Loving Fall is Wrong, I Don't Want to Be Right

2011-09-26T16:34:00.001-05:00

I have a little shopping buddy on the days that Abby is in preschool.

Audrey Kate is super obsessed with helping me to sign my name on the credit card machine.

You can tell she is loving her one on one shopping time with mommy!

Either that or she just really loves Target. I don't blame her. A girl can get lost in there, right?

Well, last Friday was the first day of Fall, and I had a big plan.

My list for the day looked like this:

1. Eat a pumpkin donut

2. Drink my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season

3. Bake/Eat pumpkin cupcakes

4. Take a nap

I know, I know. That is a really ambitious list for one day. But I really love a good reason to celebrate. My girls were just happy to hang with me while we took that exciting ride known as the First Day of Fall.

Joe was home for breakfast so he took us to eat donuts together as a family. What a great bonding opportunity! All the pictures I took of us are on his phone. You'll just have to imagine the powdery-sugar faces and sticky chocolate fingers. And I'm not just talking about the 2 and 5 year olds! Yes I did, indeed, eat a pumpkin donut. It was good.

This is my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. I MADE myself wait for the first day of Fall to drink one. It was hard, but oh so worth the wait. I even bought it and waited for my kids to nap before I sat down to drink it. Kind of like Gollum, from The Lord of the Rings, I was with my precious and dared not be disturbed.

The girls painted pumpkins that morning, also.

And tasted paint.

Later on that evening I baked these scrumptious pumpkin muffins with a cream cheese filling. Delish!

That's how we celebrated the first day of Fall. How did you commemorate the day?

This morning we were playing outside and Audrey Kate took a dramatic tumble while pushing her baby in the stroller. She got a tiny scratch under her nose, but Abby was so concerned that she ran off and came back with these huge bandaids.

Audrey Kate was super thankful.

Later on, right before lunch, I asked Abby (and Audrey Kate, too) to pick up the crayons that were on the table and spilled onto the floor. Abby got stuck with the bulk of the job, and when I went to check on her progress I saw that she had been sabotaged by her little sister.

Instead of picking up her crayons, Audrey Kate was insterting them neatly into the air vent. Awesome.

Those girls make my laugh, and every day is a new day for an adventure or two!

(Oh yeah, I never did get that nap. ha!)

It's official--Happy Fall, Ya'll!