Moix Madness

Goings On

2011-06-01T06:57:00.008-05:00

I know, I know, it's been FOREVER!!!! Part of the reason is because sometimes Blogger is D-U-M-B and won't upload pictures. I have tried....honest, I have.

We have been so incredibly super busy. Brian went to Alabama for 6 weeks to the NCO Academy, Emily has finished the 2nd grade, and now it is SUMMER!!!!! Currently, the girls are at Meme and Papa's house, and I'm pretty sure they'll stay there alllll summer. :) We got season passes to Busch Gardens (it's only 30 minutes away) and of course, the beach. I am looking for a full time job since Savannah starts Kindergarten in the fall. I know, I can't believe it either. But for now, we are enjoying hanging out with friends and concentrating on having FUN! There's going to be a bazillion pictures, so hopefully you're ready...... (these are NOT in chronological order, because I don't feel like doing that...sooo....)

Emily made the Honor Roll at school this year, and was the BEST reader in her class. I'm SO proud of her, and SO glad for the opportunity we have to send her to a Christian school. She did very well in school this year....MUCH better than when I was teaching her. :)

Emily and her teacher Mrs. Pope. We LOVED Mrs. Pope. Thankfully, she is moving to kindergarten next year, so she will be Savannah's teacher. I literally cried when I found that out. I am SO thankful that Savannah will have an incredible teacher.

This was her on the last day of school. I took this picture in the same dress she wore the 1st day of school, cause you know how much I like comparisons. However, the computer crashed several months ago, and I don't have the picture from the 1st day anymore. BUT, you can go to this post and see it.

We went home several times while Brian was gone. There was a mother/daughter banquet at mom's church, so we were able to go for that. Our favorite babysitter, Nat Nat was home from college, so the girls enjoyed seeing her.

While Brian was gone, the yard got out of control. I am pretty independent...as a military wife, I don't wait on my husband to be home to hang pictures and curtains and other "man" stuff. BUT, the yard is something I do NOT do...well, I have, but I don't like to at ALL!! Thankfully, one perk of being close to home is I can call my daddy and beg him to come help me. :) SO thankful for all the work he put into the house. I couldn't get into my garage because of the bushes, but now they are gone, and I am sooo happy. We got new windows on our house, too, and since this picture was taken, a new roof! We are so happy with our landlord and all the work he's done on the house since we moved in.

Before

After--LOVE IT!

We went home for Spring/Easter Break and had a great time relaxing in the country with mom and dad and our best friends.

The girls in their Easter dresses

Our "besties"....this was the best pic we could get. Have you ever tried to get 6 kids ages 2-8 look at the camera at the same time and stand still...yeah, it's not easy.

The girls enjoyed spending time with Melanie's girls over Spring break. Melanie and I "endured" each other. ;) hahahaha I can't even type that with a strait face. SOOOO happy to be so close to them again.

These last two are random pictures. The first one is for Miss Sarah....It's Savannah holding an inch worm. Sarah, your influence goes on to my "girlie" girls. We love and miss you more than you know.

And this last one is just a good picture of Savannah at Meme and Papa's "farm".

2011-03-21T09:56:00.001-05:00

This is a completely random blog because it's been 2 and a half months since I've blogged. Again, I'm going to try to be better. Ugh....

Here are the girls in their Christmas dresses....yeah, it's been that long since I've blogged.

This was their big present for Christmas. They have LOVED it, and I am glad no bones have been broken....yet......

This past weekend was our Draggin' Derby at church for the kids, and those who still think they're kids. The girls had a lot of fun. Emily won 2nd place twice and 3rd once. She had SUCH a good attitude about not winning first. We were proud of her.

This is what Savannah was more interested in...playing my iPod with her friend, Trevor.

Emily and her 'participation' trophy. :)

We had some visitors from TX with us this last weekend. The Longorias were in VA visiting family and it was SO good to see them. The kids had a blast playing with one another. My how they grow!!

Things are crazy, but good around here. We are ready for the lazy days of summer. Brian's job is going well. He's been working 12 hour days most days, but hopefully that will end in a couple weeks. Emily still loves school, and makes really good grades. Savannah likes being at home, but is making more comments about being ready to start school next year "when she's big". I can't imagine not having any kids at home all day. I guess I'll get a "real" job. Hope everyone is ready for spring!!

snow...then Snow...then SNOW

2011-01-07T11:11:00.007-06:00

We live 5 minutes from the beach....not the ocean...it's the bay, but we don't care. It's sand salt water, so it qualifies as the beach. See? Here is Savannah enjoying it....this is what it looks like.

I can't wait to get back to the beach as soon as it gets warmer. .....sigh.....oh..anyway.

Since we've been here, we have had 3 different snows. It's just weird to me that we live 5 minutes from the beach and still get snow!!

The first snow was nice....it didn't cancel school, and was gone before too much time elapsed.

This is what it looked like:

The second snow was much more fun. The girls got to play in it...throwing snowballs at daddy and enjoy it. Em was out on break from school, and Brian got to leave work early....although it took him an hour and a half to go 3 miles. They released the entire base at once. A LOT of people itty bitty base.

The third snow....WOW...it was great!!!!!! It started Christmas night, and didn't stop till late Sunday night. It was SO fun, and SO beautiful. We were glad my parents were here to be home bound with us. Emily was out of school and Brian didn't have to work, so we all just sat here and enjoyed it. Savannah was sick, so she didn't get to play. Emily tried, but it was too cold.

Dad measured it at one point and it was 10 inches...our final official amount was 13 inches. Definitely the most snow I've ever experienced.

Of course we had to have snow cream.

Silent Night

2011-01-03T10:04:00.007-06:00

Let me start this by saying we love our church, I mean really, really love it. When we left our church in TX, we thought we'd never find exactly what we were looking for here...and to be honest, when we found Maranatha, we didn't know if it was exactly what we were looking for, but now we do. The preaching is wonderful, the music ministry is something I've been craving for a long time, and we have incredible friends. We praise the Lord every day for our church. Ok..that being said, here are some pictures of the children's cantata that was written and directed by our music/children's pastor and his wife. Emily was an angel, and by the far the prettiest one. hee hee

This is her one line...if you watch you can see how nervous she was. :)

This is what Savannah thought of the whole thing. :)

Stay tuned for the White Christmas Post.

Emily Turns 8

2010-12-24T10:31:00.008-06:00

It's snowing outside and I have nothing to do but sit around on the couch and relax....well, that's all I'm gonna do anyway. I thought I would take some time to share Emily's birthday celebration with you.

I can not believe I have an eight year old. It makes me feel sooooo old!!!! Emily suffered all birthday week with various illnesses.

We made 1 Dr office visit and 4 ER visits in 7 days. She had horrible ear pain that they didn't finally diagnose as an ear infection till the last ER visit. One ER visit was because the medicine they gave her made her swell horribly. I didn't take a picture, but it was kinda like the movie Hitch....remember, where he ate the shellfish and looked like this?

Well, she resembled that....except she's an 8 year old girl and not a 30 year old man....anyway. She missed several days of school, but really wanted to go on her actual birthday so she could share it with her classmates. I made cupcakes and Brian and I were able to have lunch with her at school. She was very excited about the birthday crown that she got to wear.

Emily's class singing Happy Birthday to her.

Brian and Emily handing out cupcakes to her classmates.

Mom and dad came up to help us celebrate. As is our tradition, we made plans to take Emily out to dinner where ever she wanted to go (well, within reason...Chuck E Cheese and McDonalds are not considered options). She picked Olive Garden and we were very excited. Then, about 5 minutes before we walked out the door, she said, "I don't really feel like going out." So, we stayed home and had a wonderful spaghetti supper and cake and ice cream. After running around all day, we were all thankful to stay home.

All the presents and balloons Papa got her.

Still gets so excited about drawing paper.

She asked Savannah to help her blow out the candles.

Of course, Savannah gets presents, too. :)

Fall Fun

2010-12-13T16:39:00.003-06:00

I have SOOO many pictures to blog about. I've been really good about taking pictures, and have moved on to being horrible about blogging. Ugh...one of these days, I'll get them both together.

Anyway, Melanie came up for another visit on her way to WV for the holidays, and we had SO much fun (as usual)....despite the minor hole in my bumper.....we'll just stay silent on that one. Anyway.....

We took the girls (Melanie and Noah stayed home to pack) to our church's Family Fun Night. It was a LOT of fun. They ate lots of candy, and played lots of games. Here are some pics from that.

Emily in her element.

Mr. Jon helping Savannah golf. We have made some really good friends here already, and for that we are truly grateful.

The girls.

Another thing that has been fun to experience is a real FALL! You don't get leaves like this in Texas. The girls have had a lot of fun raking them and jumping in them.

I'll leave you with this for now. More blog posts to come...promise.

WPS

2010-11-20T14:24:00.004-06:00

Has it really been over a month since I last posted? Yikes!!! I would go into a long mantra of what I've been doing, but I'm sure you don't care. :o) So, I'll give you the short version.

We've gone to Goldsboro a couple times. I really is SO nice to be able to "run home" when we want to. We knew it was going to be nice when we moved back, but we had no idea it would be this nice. Living 3 hours from my parents is wonderful. I think since we've moved back, the longest we've gone without seeing them is 2 weeks.

We L-O-V-E our church. I mean, really love it. We have made some friends, and gotten involved. I'm able to play the piano a little bit and work in nursery, and Brian helps in children's church. Last Sunday, they had 76 kids! Ron Comfort was just here for a revival, and it was really good. I love being a part of the church choir.

Emily is doing really well in school. She loves going to "building" school. She has a hard time getting up some mornings, but she's adjusted very well. She makes all A's and her teacher says she has such a tender heart and is a joy to teach.

Savannah is getting so big. It's really unbelievable that she is not so much my baby anymore. She's getting harder and harder to carry. She loves her big sister! Her skin is doing ok.....not great, not terrible...well, sometimes terrible....and sometimes great. There's really not an in between for her.

Now, to the WPS title. If you don't know (and if you don't, you need to know) stands for Woo Pig Sooie!!! The first weekend of November, Brian and I got to go to an Arkansas game. They played South Carolina...well...the Razorbacks played...the Gamecocks, not so much. hee hee It was an amazing game. Cold, but amazing. We had SO much fun, and thanks to mom and dad for making a HUGE sacrifice and keeping the girls (can you hear the sarcasm in that?)

Our QB right in the middle.

Big Red

Sweet Innocence

2010-10-15T20:20:00.002-05:00

Brian had last Tuesday off. He offered to go pick up Emily from school! She loves getting to ride in his truck! When she got home, this was what she announced with a big smile on her face, "Mommy, Gabrielle said my daddy is hot!" I didn't know what to say. Melanie (who is visiting this week) and I just looked at each other over Emily's shoulder and silently laughed. Later, as we sat at the dinner table, I asked her, "Emily, what did Gabby mean by 'Your daddy is hot'?" This was her response:

"Well, see, he picked me up in his truck. And since the truck is red, it probably reminded her of fire, and fire is hot!"

Yes, baby girl, that's probably what she meant.

Visits

2010-09-30T12:42:00.004-05:00

I really need to pull my camera out and have it handy. I never remember to take pictures. Thankfully, Melanie takes a lot (a LOT ha ha) of pictures. She and the kids came to visit a couple weeks ago for their first visit of the fall. They'll be back soon. It was so fun to have playmates for the girls. As usual, one of the kids got sick (Emily this time...we have never visited each other without one of the kids getting sick), but it wasn't too bad. Here are some pictures from the fun at the beach we had.

My little blond beach bunny.

We told them they could go in the water "up to their ankles...hmmmm"

Yes, this was the 2nd day Emily was home from school sick. Shh, don't tell.

This look pretty much sums up what Noah thought of the beach. ha ha

Digging for treasure...or burying it or something. Who cares? Look at the position Callie is in!

Is It Possible?

2010-09-10T20:59:00.009-05:00

Is it really possible that my baby...my baby has turned 4 years old? I called her Dr this week to make her "4th year old well baby appointment" and the lady corrected me: "Her well child appointment?" Ouch! I look at pictures of Emily when she was 4...the things she was doing, how we treated her. And I think, "Savannah could never do all that." It doesn't take me long to remind myself that she probably could, I just don't allow it. I'll be the first to admit that I'm hanging on to my baby as long as possible.

Savannah, you make us smile. We love you, baby girl.

We enjoyed celebrating her birthday with our friends, the Bethels (minus Matthew who is deployed ) and Meme and Papa. Very low key, and very enjoyable.

We started the day at IHOP!

Then she got to open her presents from Oma. Oh, evidently, it's the new rule that even siblings get presents for birthdays. So, Emily got some, too. Van got Nala and Tramp, and Emily got Lady and Bambi.

Emily enjoying the new deck at Meme and Papa's house.

This years theme was "The Little Einsteins"

My first "non Sarah" cake. Please don't go to this post and compare it to last years cake created by Sarah. Missed you this year.

Mmm. Pizza and "Silly Bread"

He is quite possibly the cutest boy this side of the Mississippi.

"It's Pillow...It's a Pet! It's a Pillow Pet!" Probably the most loved present this year.

This one ran a close second. A tutu! Those that know her well will be able to tell by her eyes in this picture how much she liked it. You just have to look closely.

Yay! She doesn't have to sit on the floor in the playroom anymore.

She loved her birthday button from Mason and Bradey. She wore it all day!

Papa's girl.

Matthew was there in spirit. :)

I Love This Place

2010-08-31T11:12:00.002-05:00

When Brian and I were on our way up here from NC, we were traveling in separate cars, and he radioed (we had walkie talkies) me and said, "Turn your radio on 94.1! They're gonna say my name!" I turned it over, heard that it was ESPN Radio and they were announcing winners of Tides baseball tickets. And he won! We got 4 tickets to the Norfolk Tides baseball game. It was a beautiful night, and we had SO much fun.

There is so much to do here, and we love love LOVE it!!! Here are some pics from the baseball game.

They had several little skits put on by these over sized animals. The girls loved it.

Look at those eyes. :)

That hat once held french fries. Silly girl.

Cotton candy...the best part.

First Day of School

2010-08-26T06:06:00.003-05:00

Monday, August 23rd, was Emily's first day of 2nd grade. SECOND GRADE?!?! I can't believe I have a second grader. I'm so young!! (no comments from the peanut gallery) We decided to place Emily in a Christian school (not private school...there's a big difference) this year instead of homeschooling her. I loved homeschooling...loved the flexibility of it, loved having her with me all day. Emily? Not so much. She is a social butterfly and was beginning to hate school, and let me tell you, the 1st grade is too young to hate school. That shouldn't come till at least 7th grade. Anyway, I digress.

We shopped for school supplies (something you don't really get to do when you're homeschooled...if you need a pencil, you grab one from where you can find it), shopped for school clothes, and asked about lunches and all that cool stuff. She was beyond excited!! And, sure enough, Monday morning, she woke me up way too early and said, "It's my first day of school!!" Every day, she's gotten in the car after and told me how wonderful it is, and how her teacher is the BEST teacher ever!!! I try not to remember I was her teacher last year. :)

She is attending Bethel Christian School in Hampton, VA, and while the 16 minute drive every morning and afternoon is a bit annoying, it's not terrible. Vannah and I have enjoyed shopping, making bread for the neighbors and still trying to get this house unpacked. All we have left is the pictures to hang. I'll get pictures of that up soon! Enjoy some pictures!

They had a meet and greet on the Friday before school started. We saw her classroom and met her teacher. I got a picture then, because on the 1st day of school, parents couldn't go to the classrooms. There is a car line and we just drop them off and pick them up. Really nice that I don't have to unload Vannah every time.

She was having a hard time holding up her bookbag. :) It had the whole year's school supplies in it and it was heavy!!

SO excited!!!

Here I Am!

2010-08-10T07:44:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've updated, and this won't be long, but I wanted to give a brief synopsis of what we've been doing.
We're in Virginia! I'm sitting here in our new den...er...I mean "Man Room" and enjoying my coffee. So far, we love it here. Our landlord is great, our neighbors are wonderful (we've been given garden tomatoes by one, and brownies by another), and we really like the area. It will take a little getting used to. in Wichita Falls, Wal-Mart was 5 minutes away, and there was NO traffic. Not so much here.
The girls are adjusting well. We spent about 2 weeks with my parents on the way here, and they are loving being so close to them. It's nice that when we leave them being able to say, "See you in a couple weeks" instead of "several months". Emily starts school on the 23rd, and she's super excited. Savannah's skin is amazing here!!! I don't know if it's the salt water from the beach, or the environment or what, but I praise the Lord for His mercy.
Here are a couple of pictures from the last week or so. I'll get pictures of the house up once it's unpacked. It's getting there, but there is still too much mess to be posting pictures on the internet.

The girls' favorite babysitter got Emily all into these crazy bracelet things. Thanks, NAT! ha

Our first family photo on the beach. It's about 5 minutes from the house.

Down on the Farm

2010-07-21T13:42:00.003-05:00

This morning, Brian, Dad and I got out to clean out the ditch in front of their house! It was HOT!!!! It looks good though!

Before!

Emily picked up one stick and declared it "Too hot out here!"

After!

Safe and Sound

2010-07-21T12:04:00.005-05:00

Well, we have arrived in NC all in one piece. The Lord gave us a great trip! There were no problems whatsoever. Well....somebody got a speeding ticket, but that person shall remain nameless, BRIAN! We were both nervous about traveling separately. Me, because I don't like to drive in large cities, and Brian, well, because I don't like to drive in large cities. But again, the Lord was gracious, and I don't think there were any moments where I was even a bit nervous. The girls did great, and really rolled with the punches as they came. We traveled over 1,300 miles in two days, so they did well, considering.

We are thrilled to be home with my parents for a little while. We're not completely sure when we'll head to VA. Probably August 1st....maybe go up for a scouting trip next Monday. We'll see how it goes. Thanks so much for the prayers. I have TONS of pictures from the last several days, so I hope you enjoy them!

This is how much Emily grew in the time we were at our house.

We celebrated Brian's birthday in the middle of the hulla baloo

Our girls in front of the house. It was kinda sad leaving it. It's the only house Vannah ever knew.

Us and Kalli's girls the night before we left.

Emily and Fluffy. :)

Our girls and the Shine boys. It was a sad day leaving their "brothers".

The girls with Brian's grandma.

There was a mix up with a hotel, and the girls had to sleep on the floor. They didn't even have any linens for us!! Thankfully, Brian's grandma had given us some quilts, so they had a soft pallet.

The beautiful Smokey Mountains in the background.

We were ALL happy to see this sign!

The night after we got home, our church had a group go to a Single A baseball game in Kinston. It was a LOT of fun!!

Emily and Melanie's girls, Emma and Callie.

Melanie, Darla and Me! Darla's visit overlapped with us, so we got to see her!!!

Emily got chosen to go out on the field for an "in between innings" game!!! She was so excited!

Prayers Are Appreciated

2010-07-11T15:49:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to check in and say we've started our first phase of our move! The packers came on Friday and put everything in boxes. The movers come tomorrow and load it all up. We have a couple prayer requests:

1. Pray for safety for our household goods as they travel the miles to our new location.
2. Pray for our safety as WE travel the miles. We will be leaving Friday morning, stopping in Arkansas and then headed to NC.
3. Pray for strength for all of us as we say goodbye to good friends here. We had our last Sunday service this morning, and it was emotional for Brian and I. Pray for Emily as she has to say goodbye to her childhood friends.

I guess that's about it. We are currently in TLF (temporary living facility) that is very roomy and furnished for us. We praise the Lord that we didn't have to stay in a small motel room for a week. Thanks for your prayer!! I'll be checking in!!

My Big Girls

2010-07-04T15:51:00.002-05:00

Everyone knows I love comparisons. This is the first picture I have of the girls on this planter in our front yard. It's the first time I took a picture of the two of them there. The second picture is from this morning. Probably the last picture I'll take of my girls on this same planter. This is the house we brought Savannah home to...the only house she's ever known. So many memories here...happy and sad.

Whew!

2010-07-04T14:52:00.003-05:00

Ok...that's better. :) A new summery theme. If you missed the previous background...be glad. :)

Quick Fix

2010-07-04T08:39:00.003-05:00

Well, I had hoped to just post a simple update, and decided to push a few buttons (something I'm famous for...ask my dad) and messed up my blog. But, I don't have time to fix it today, so this new look is temporary, I promise.

Just wanted to pop in and say Happy 4th of July! We had a relaxing day yesterday, and enjoyed the fireworks last night.

The movers come in FIVE DAYS!!!! I can't believe it!! Things are getting crazy and a little sad. A lot happy though. The girls are very ready to move closer to their meme and papa. I don't think they realize that they are leaving their friends forever. Being a military child is tough. Here are some pictures from our 4th!

A family self portrait (this was take 6, so Van was getting a little preturbed)

Em and Van playing with Sparklers.

Psalm 63:1a

2010-06-11T22:41:00.003-05:00

"God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee"

I couldn't help but post this picture of my sweet girls and me doing our quiet time together one morning. I pray that the Lord presses on their hearts to have a daily quiet time with Him. One way they will learn it? To see ME doing it. Lord, help me to be faithful to show them how important a daily meeting with you is.

A Place to Call Home

2010-06-07T20:10:00.003-05:00

After hours (yeah, I'll admit it...hours) of searching every website I could find, we found a house in Virginia that sounded promising. It had everything we wanted in a house, was in a good neighborhood, and in our price range. So, I booked a ticket to fly out there to look at it.

I left home at 1:30 last Wednesday morning to catch a 5:15 flight out of Dallas. I made it to RDU around 10:30 and mom and dad picked me up, and up to Hampton we headed. I have to say, it's been 7+ years since I've had mom and dad to myself, and it was kinda nice. :) It was also nice to have them around to check out the house with me. Dad talked to the neighbors and made sure they were all right.

So....we have a house!! Just renting, but still, we have one!! It's 4 bedrooms, 1900 sq ft, big fenced in backyard. Plenty of room for my parents and any other out of town guests that I know will be coming to visit. :) Oddly enough, I didn't take ANY pictures while I was there. Only on my phone, and I'm too tired to try to figure out how to get those on the computer. This is the front of the house, though. We are super excited. A little nervous, as we've never lived off base before, but happy that we don't have to live on base there.

We drove around a little and saw Emily's school, and went on base for a while. It's so beautiful there. Oh, did I mention that there is a private beach for the subdivision about 5 minutes from our house? All I can say is YAY! We are super excited for what the Lord has in store for us, and SO thankful that He opened the doors and supplied this house. It was a super quick trip. I was back to RDU at 6:30 the next morning to fly home. Brian could only get one day off work, so I had to work my time around that. I was very tired, but the Lord kept me safe and gave me good friends to talk to on my way home to keep me awake. :)

We are currently trying to get this house ready to move out. We have to have everything back the way it was when we moved in, so that means taking out all the carpets. Thankfully, we started early, because we discovered today it's going to be a hard job!

I guess that's about it. We have a busy 5 weeks ahead of us. Pray that God will give us the strength to get through it all and the grace to get through it with joyful hearts.

Truth Trackers

2010-06-04T09:21:00.004-05:00

The girls finished their Truth Trackers program on the last Wednesday in May. This program has been such a blessing. Since beginning it, Emily has memorized 75 verses, and Vannah memorized 30 this year. Emily had devotions every day, and learned so much! It is such a blessing to have a children's program that teaches the doctrines of the Bible and important lessons. Here are some pictures from their awards ceremony.

The first night of TT in August

Their last night.

Emily waiting for her award.

Vannah with her award.

Great Wolf Lodge

2010-05-28T08:34:00.003-05:00

We...well, I have a Texas bucket list. There are certain things that I want to do before we leave (in 7 weeks from today, but who's counting?). I want to eat at certain mom and pop places here in town, like Jean's Tasty Burger and Golden Chick. I wanted to go to Bowie Trade Days (which we did a couple weeks ago) and we wanted to go to Great Wolf Lodge. Granted, there will be a Great Wolf Lodge about a half hour from us in Williamsburg, but still.

So, several months ago, I called my friend Kalli, and said, "You have to go to Great Wolf with us, so start saving." We decided to keep it a secret from the girls (they have 3 girls, ages 7, 3 and 2 months). Mostly because we didn't want to hear "How many more days??" for 2 months.

We worked really hard to get completely done with school by the time the weekend came. We kept it a secret all the way till we stopped for lunch on the way there. They were ecstatic. Kalli and I were more excited about eating at Cheesecake Factory that night, but hey, to each their own.

We had a lot of fun on all the slides, and had a lot of fun with great friends. I forgot my camera, but thankfully, Kalli had hers. However, there aren't too many pictures, cause who has time for taking pictures!!!!!

I Know, I Know.....

2010-05-27T10:27:00.004-05:00

It's been forever since I've blogged. I've been reminded. I don't like to blog without pictures, cause let's face it, that's why people look at my blog is to see my beautiful kids. :) I haven't taken a lot of pictures, so I haven't had much to blog. But, I downloaded all my pictures, and there were more than I thought. So, I'll take a few days to catch up. I won't make one gigantic post, because you don't have time for that, and neither do I. :)

Summer has been going splendidly. We finished school on May 7th, and Emily and I were both SOO happy. She is enjoying having all day to play and I'm enjoying sleeping in.

Toward the end of the school year, we did a lot of work outside.

While Savannah amused herself with Golf/Baseball

"Fruit Swords" became a favorite of my girls this spring. Fresh fruit has been really good around here.

Playing with a worm they dug up.

You may remember this post about a bad reaction Savannah had to something. We figured out it was laundry detergent. However, in our quest to eliminate everything from her life that could be causing her misery, we decided to get rid of our cat, Einstein. She is allergic to cats, but I was told it wasn't enough to make that much of a difference. But, we had to try. Thankfully, Brian's dad was able to give him a good home. The girls miss him, but Savannah's skin seems so much better. Who knows if it was the main cause of her problems, but it seems to have helped.

Einstein the morning he left.

Emily and Einstein the day we got him in October 2005.

Well, I think that's enough for now. Hopefully I'll have time later to post about a GREAT mini-vacation we took right after school was out. And, the end of the Truth Tracker's year and the encouragement our kids are to us. Stay tuned!!

I Don't Have Anything Important to Say....

2010-04-23T15:53:00.004-05:00

But, I wanted to share these pictures.....

Never tell your kids they can get their own piece of cake.......Seriously, who taught them their manners.

This is my Mother's Day present! I've wanted a mug tree for so long, and Brian ordered me one! It's a nice one, too! Very heavy. These are all Starbucks mugs....not all my Starbuck's mugs....that would take a couple of trees, but these are my current favorites. So excited to have them sitting out on my counter!!!!

Update on Savannah's skin: She looks amazing!! Praise the Lord! I have her baths down to a nightly science, and a new lotion that may or may not be the cause of how well she's doing. I'm just thankful that she seems to be in a remission of the worst of it for now. Thanks for all your prayers.

Prayers for Savannah

2010-04-12T18:35:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've felt the need to come on here and ask for prayers for Savannah's skin. She's been doing so well. Until recently.....

I'm not sure if it was the change in weather, and the fact that she's been playing outside more, or what, but her skin is really bad.

Her eczema got worse, so I started trying different things to help her. In the course of that, I'm afraid I got her in worse trouble. I switched to a "more natural" laundry detergent, and learned that natural doesn't always mean better. I took her to the doctor today, and she put her on steroids and an antibiotic. She has several places on her skin that are open and infected. Pray that these clear up. If they get worse, we could be looking at a hospital stay for IV antibiotics.

I brought her home and gave her her first dose of steroids, and within 4 hours, the redness has already gone down. I praise the Lord for this! Neither she nor I have slept consistently in about 2 weeks, so I'm praying for a reprieve.

Thank you to all of you that love us and will remember a prayer for us.

This was her back this morning. Her tummy looked the same.

This is her tummy now. I realize that it looks like there is lighting differences for "dramatic effect", but I promise, it's not the case. It's just the way the pictures took.

Emily's Baptism

2010-04-09T14:22:00.002-05:00

We were thrilled beyond words when Emily made the decision to follow the Lord in baptism. She was pretty frightened of being put under water, but she wanted to obey the Lord. We are so proud of you, Emily.
Just as Emily is getting into the pool, you can hear Savannah say, "You can do it, Emily!" Also, Pastor had to speed up at the end, because Emily was ready to get it over with. Enjoy!

Happy Easter!!!

2010-04-04T15:36:00.003-05:00

I thought the look on Em's face was cute.

What Was I Saying????

2010-03-20T14:48:00.003-05:00

Spring laughs in the face of me. It was 75 degrees yesterday...YES! 75!!!!! Today??? Well, a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Ready For Spring

2010-03-19T14:41:00.004-05:00

I haven't blogged in a while because nothing exciting has been happening, and I hate reading blogs about nothing. So, in order to spare you, I have refrained. :)

But, now I have a couple pictures to share, so here we go.

This is the Spy that has no fashion sense. She was being a detective...complete with detective kit and sword. I love watching my girls play with imaginations. It's so fun!

Brian was watching Food Network one afternoon and decided to make me dinner. I asked him what, and he said, "Pepperoni Pizza Soup". Ummm....I was nervous. But, he made it, and it was really good! I was very impressed. It really did taste like pepperoni pizza!!!

The housing management company here at Sheppard occasionally puts on little things for the kids to do. On St. Patricks Day, they had a "Go Green" picnic for the kids. It was supposed to be how to save energy and be more organic (and all that crunchy granola stuff), but they served hot dogs and various horribly flavored soda. It was interesting. The kids had a blast.

It was windy (big shocker) and COLD!

Emily painting a shopping bag.

Savannah spent a long time painting her bird house. Every inch had to be covered.

Emily picked a kite from the prize box.

Savannah's finished product.

The girls' birdhouses in our front yard.

I guess that's about it. We are ready for Spring to hit North Texas. It's been really warm...sunny and 74 currently outside...tomorrow? 34 and snow.....I don't get it. Only 3 months and 27 days till we move to Virginia. I'm not the least bit excited, can you tell? ;) We've decided to put Emily in Christian school next year, so that's exciting. I'm looking forward to doing preschool with Savannah more regularly. She enjoys school so much!

God is good all the time, and we are just enjoying family time (the little time that we have) and counting the days. Enjoy the pics!

Snow, Valentine's Day, and Mom

2010-02-15T16:26:00.009-06:00

Quite a bit has been going on.....and nothing really has been going on. We seem to always be busy, but I can't for the life of me think of what we've done. We have enjoyed having my mom here more than we can express. I don't know how I would have done it all without her. Savannah has been a mommy's only girl. She only wants me to sit with her, me to hold her, me to sleep with her. I don't mind (at ALL), but it's been wonderful to have someone else to help take care of Emily's needs while Brian is at work. Savannah is healing...she is still running a low fever, and yesterday was the first day she ate a full meal. Nights are still long (or short, depending on how you look at it). We still have one week to go in isolation. Her post-op appointment is February 22.

We got around 8 inches of snow last week. It was SO pretty. It afforded Brian a day off of work, and all of us yummy snow cream. The girls loved it, even though we would allow Savannah to play in it.

The girls loved having Meme here for Valentines Day. She brings (lots of) presents, and they had so much fun opening them on Saturday (we celebrated a little early).

Here are some pics of our time together. My mom left yesterday after a bout with the stomach bug. Thankfully, with some good meds, she made it home without getting sick on the plane.

Savannah was quite content to watch Emily play in the snow and have her throw snowballs at her.

Daddy did take her out to catch a snowflake on her tongue

The snow was higher than her boots!

Only Meme can make perfect snow cream.

Meme brings the best Valentines presents.....

Like paints..... (that aren't watercolor)

And cookies from Mrs. Fields

And only Meme can make the perfect Coconut Macadamia Nut Pie......twice.

Savannah's Surgery Part 2

2010-02-08T14:40:00.004-06:00

Well, this morning was Savannah's surgery. We had to get up at 4:30 to get ready to go. It was an early morning after a late Superbowl night. She was pretty happy on the way to the Surgery Center. She was hungry, but didn't seem too put off by my answer that she had to see the doctor first.

We got there, and we got her changed into her hospital gown. She was pretty happy. Then they gave her the "loopy" medicine....then she got REALLY happy. It was so funny. I was wanting them to give me Valium, but just watching her put her finger up in the air and say (after much concentration) "ONE!" made us laugh and relax. She went with the nurse with no problems.

Brian and I waited in the waiting room, and about 45 minutes after they started, the Doctor came out and told us they were all done. He said she did great. Hardly any bleeding. He said her adenoids were really large, so it was good we had them taken out. I asked about the IV, and he said they had a hard time finding a place (7 sticks, in fact), but finally were able to get it started in her foot. Thankfully, she was completely asleep for all that.

They came and got me soon, and I went back. I could hear her crying before I got back there. She sounded terrible!! Very horse...it wasn't pleasant. They told me that they had to give her medicine to reverse the anesthesia because they were having a hard time waking her up. She did not want to wake up. They let us go after about an hour, and we came home!

When we first got home, she was very grumpy and sleepy. She took a little nap, and is now acting great. Miss Sarah brought her a present, and it was like a switch turned on. She is so happy! She's eating Popsicles and ice, and is doing ok!

We'll see how it goes!!!!

Savannah's Surgery

2010-02-05T14:15:00.003-06:00

I sit here and blog only because it makes me think I'm doing something productive while I sit. I'm so sleepy!! I thought I'd catch ya'll up on what's going on with Savannah.

Last October (I promise this isn't going to be a 4 month long story), when the girls and I returned from Washington, we all spent the night in a hotel in Dallas. Man that was a nice hotel.....anyway..... Brian came in later than the rest of us (after watching the Razorbacks slaughter the Aggies) and we were talking when we heard a choking sound. We looked over at Savannah and noticed that she was going a couple seconds without breathing! It was scary! I looked at her tonsils a couple days later, and saw that they touched!!

Ok...long story, LOTS of Doctors (some stupid) later, she is scheduled to have her tonsils and adenoids taken out on Monday morning. Her tonsil size, and sleep apnea are the reason the Dr thinks she needs them removed.

Today was her pre-op. We had to be in Lawton (about an hour away) at 8:00 this morning. It was early!! Dr. McGath looked at her, answered all questions, I filled out lots of paperwork, and they sent us over to the hospital to have her blood drawn. They need to make sure her blood clots well, and that her counts are all ok for surgery.

I was NOT looking forward to this part of the appointment. Savannah has horrible veins. She comes by it justly. I have horrible veins, as my father does, also. I told them she was a very hard stick, and she would need the most capable person to do it. FIVE sticks, 3 phlebotomists, and 1 hour later, Savannah was sweating, I was sweating, Savannah was crying, I was crying (not in front of her, of course), and they still didn't have any blood. They used a Venoscope (aka vein finder) to find a vein and still couldn't see one. I called her Dr and tried to see if they could give her something to calm her down. They discussed sedating her, but in order to sedate her, they would have to give her an IV, and if they could get an IV, then they would be able to get blood. So, an ER nurse came in, and told me she wanted to try one more time. I stayed in the lobby this time, and quietly cried (I'm sure the old lady in there thought I was crazy!!) while I listened to her scream in the back room. But...about 5 minutes later, she came out cradling Savannah in her arms. They got it!!!!

They've assured me that before they have to put an IV in her on Monday, they're going to give her Valium...well, whatever the child form of Valium is and that she'll be "out" before they try.

My mom flies in tomorrow (YAY!!) to be with us and help me take care of Vannah. I'm so excited for her to be here. Pray for us!

OK...I can't kid myself anymore...I have to get back to work.

Umm...Big Redder?

2010-01-27T08:28:00.004-06:00

The old Big Red had a rat problem. Don't even get me started. So, without further ado, I present to you the "new" Big Red. I'll spare you ALL the pictures. It's basically the same as the first one, just a different color and a few more amenities.

Christmas

2010-01-18T18:40:00.003-06:00

I know....Christmas? But better late than never, right? After we left Florida, we headed North to spend Christmas with my parents. There are no words for how excited we were. Number 1, we were ready to be away from Disney World. Number 2, we love my parents house. There is nothing like going home. My parents have the warmest (not temperature wise), most comfortable home and we love to be there.

My parents go all out for the girls for Christmas. Not necessarily gift wise (although they do too much for them), but in decorations. They plan and decorate for weeks ahead of time. Dad works outside in the cold to put up lights and decorations for the girls to enjoy, and mom makes sure there are music toys every couple feet that little fingers can reach the buttons to. Before we went home, my dad was walking around with the computer and showing me all the decorations and I just sat here and cried! They are so good to us, and we love spending Christmas with them more than anything.

We had some good friends that were home visiting their family, so we got to spend time with the Spences, and the other friends that are there. Brad and Cheryl and Jennifer and Josh. We love spending time with ya'll when we're home. Espcecially at Parkers!! Unfortunately, we missed the Bethels by 3 days! But, there will be plenty time with them when we go back.

Here are some pics from Christmas.

Celebrating Jesus' Birthday!

The girls got cowgirl outfits for Christmas

And a horse to go with it.

Emily in her Snuggie.

All our stockings hung with care.

Big Red

2010-01-14T16:29:00.006-06:00

Brian has been waiting for a long time for a new(er) truck. We knew it was coming time that we could get it, so for the last several weeks, we've been looking and researching and calling and researching some more for the truck. We finally found it. We made plans to go get it today, and then Emily got sick. So, Brian went by himself and came home with a beautiful truck.

I'm so proud of him! He works hard and deserves this!

Disney Day 5--Magic Kingdom

2010-01-09T20:40:00.005-06:00

Our final day. Sigh. Sadly, the adults were very ready to go. In fact, when asked "Is there any thing you want to see tomorrow?" my dad replied, "Disney World in my rear view mirror." HA! We were having a very good time, but tired we were!

This day, was our last day, and we wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom. We knew it was going to be crazy with the crowds, but hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? My main purpose for the day was to get Cinderella's autograph. Oh, just a hint, if you go to Disney, don't worry about autographs. Yes, they're neat. Yes, it's nice to get one on one attention with the characters. But, if I added up all the time we stood in lines for autographs...well, I'd rather not think about it. We rode Dumbo again, the Goofy Roller Coaster, and the train. It was a great day.

I've included a couple pictures from the house we stayed at too. We got an incredible military discount on it, and it was fabulous!!! This concludes the Disney run down. It's probably been mundane to some, but I know it's been good for me, to have record, and my Disney coordinator has enjoyed it. :)

Thank you Melanie for everything! You were there for me to answer questions when you were living one of the busiest weeks of your life! I really appreciate everything. Can't wait to go back to Disney with you one of these days!!!

Thank you Dad and Mom, for agreeing to go with us. I know it probably wasn't your first (or second or fifteenth) choice of vacation, but we SO appreciate you sharing it with us. We love you! Ready to go back??

This was just the line to get on the monorail to go TO the park.

Savannah has no fear....except of 4-D things.

Yeah, Savannah liked the other Belle better.

We were riding the train around Magic Kingdom and Savannah thought we were a parade. She waved at everyone!

This sums up the end of the trip.

Disney Day 4--Disney's Hollywood Studios

2010-01-09T19:45:00.007-06:00

Yikes...I should have blogged about this stuff when I got home. I'm starting to lose the vivid memories. OK, let's see.

We tried to get up early and get to Hollywood Studios. I knew it was going to be one of the girl's favorites, but there wasn't a lot. We hoped to get through some stuff, and get back to the World Showcase at Epcot. We took Emily to the Star Wars ride, first thing. She loves Star Wars. There was hardly any line at all, so we walked right in. It was a good time. We got out, and I went to take a picture of Emily on a Star Wars ship thingy (I'm sure it has a proper name), and realized I didn't have my camera. I also remembered picking up my purse from being sideways in the Star Wars ride (it's one of those rides that turns you sideways and stuff). Anyway, back through the ride I went and to make a long, very nerve racking story short, I found my camera. It was on the floor, at the end of the row where we were sitting. I had a little revival right there and praised the Lord.

We walked around and saw lots of fun things. Took the girls to Honey I Shrunk the Kids. It's a little play area, and they loved that a lot. We walked on around, making our way to Toy Story Mania. There are no words to describe the wait time and the crowds for that ride. If you don't know how Fast Passes at Disney work, this won't make a lot of sense, but we got Fast Passes at 11 in the morning. Usually, if you get one at 11, the time to return is around 1. It gets later with the more people that have gotten Fast Passes. Our FP were for 7:00 that NIGHT!! We thought about waiting in the regular line, but it was an hour long. So, we took our FP and saw Woody and Buzz. Then, we walked around a while, saw characters from the Little Einsteins, Jo-Jo, and were first in line for Playhouse Disney. Savannah was just as enraptured with that as Emily was last time we went. Another "compare" picture I'll do later.

When we would ask Emily what she wanted to do for her birthday, she would say, "Eat at Pizza Planet." That's before she knew we were going to Disney World! So, we ate lunch at Pizza Planet, where I almost got in a "discussion" with a man who tried to take the table I had been stalking for 10 minutes. The crowds were definitely getting worse.

After lunch, we headed to Epcot by way of bus to "walk the World". That's one of my favorite things. I would love to be able to eat something from every nation. But, not only would I be sick, I would be broke. We saw several characters this time. Mostly princesses. Let me tell you, they were very, very nice! They took a lot of time with the girls and talked to them. I was very impressed. Brian and mom ate some nasty sauerkraut in Germany, and Dad, the girls and I ate fish and chips (the best fish I've ever had) in the United Kingdom.

Around 6, we headed back to HS for our Toy Story Mania ride. This moment was the first time I noticed that my feet hurt. Day 4...not bad, huh? But when it hit, it hit bad! I was in pain! Anyway, that's not relevant. We went back just for that one ride, so we just hung out until we could get in line. The regular line (not Fast Pass)? The wait was 130 minutes. That's over 2 hours people!!! I thought, "Man, this ride is going to be good!" We stood in the Fast Pass line for 30 minutes. Insane. Anyway. It was a 4-D ride. You get to shoot things. It was SO fun. Savannah liked it till the air hit her in the face. She's not a fan of 4-D. 5 minute ride....7, TOPS! When we got out, the line was 180 minutes long. I felt like going to the people at the end of the line and saying, "It's not worth it!!!! Go home!!!" But, alas....I just went home.

We were exhausted. The adults are ready for this to be done. One more day...Record breaking crowds...where were we headed the next day? The most crowded park there...Magic Kingdom. Whew.

You can't go to Disney World and not get ice cream Mickey ears. No matter how cold it is.

I couldn't believe how long "Jasmine" and "Aladdin" talked with the girls. It was so sweet of them.

Belle, too, was one of the girl's favorites. She was so sweet.

I had to hold my nose all the way through Germany. This stuff was nasty!

Pizza Planet!

Look at that face!!! Love watching her enjoy things.

Waiting for Playhouse Disney to start.

We were shocked that they had this up. Granted, it was tucked away in the back corner of HS, but still.

Waiting in line to see Woody and Buzz.

Disney Day 3--Animal Kingdom

2010-01-07T07:46:00.006-06:00

Ok, this one will be much shorter. After day 2's late night of fireworks and massive crowds, we decided to sleep in on Sunday. We knew that there wasn't a whole lot that we wanted to see at Animal Kingdom, so we didn't figure we'd be there that long. Maybe we could go back to Epcot or something later. So, we got up and finally meandered out the door around 10. We immediately trekked to Africa for the safari. It's really cute, and the girls got to see lots of animals. Just as we were about to get on the truck thingy for the safari, my brother called. He said he was in Kissimmee, and wanted to meet us for lunch. We were thrilled! We knew there was a possibility of him coming down to see us, but weren't sure. So, after the safari, we headed over to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. It was so yummy....LOUD, but yummy. We decided this day that the girls didn't need naps, so after lunch, we headed over to the Lion King show. We'd been told that is was the best thing at Disney World, so we were pretty excited. The line was LONG, but my mom being in a wheelchair helped us get priority access for some things. I wonder what they do about people that get wheelchairs just for this reason....hmm.. Anyway. Lion King was incredible. The girls were enraptured the whole time! If you ever go to Disney, you have to watch this. By this time, it was getting late, and we knew we weren't going to be able to go to any other parks, so we just walked around, found a couple hidden character spots, and shopped. It was a good time. Animal Kingdom definitely isn't our favorite park, but the girls had a good time. We did notice the crowd level increasing significantly.....it was only going to get worse.

In front of the Tree of Life

At The Lion King---look at that FACE!

Thumper

Miss Bunny aka Girl Thumper

With Uncle Jon

Simba from the Lion King show. I couldn't get any good pictures. It was very dark and smoky (foggy?) in there.

With Pocahantas.

On the safari ride. I think I have a picture from 2005 to compare this too. I'll have comparison pictures later.

Disney Day 2--Epcot

2010-01-06T08:10:00.006-06:00

On day 2, the weather was much more cooperative. It was sunny...but COLD!!! We headed out early that morning for Epcot. It is one of mine and Brian's favorite parks, but we like it for the culture stuff that you see in the World Showcase. I thought the kids might be a little bored. We headed out and the first thing we did when we got there was head to a store to buy a blanket for my poor babies. We found a store that had a souvenir blanket that you could get for only $15 if you bought $40 worth of other merchandise. Hmm...shouldn't be too hard. Emily got herself a stuffed Lady (from Lady and the Tramp) and my mom got the cutest purse you've ever seen. So, tucked warmly in the stroller under a blanket, we set off. The first thing we did was Space Earth. It's the ride that goes up into 'the big golf ball'. It takes you through how people have developed electronics and stuff over time. When you get to the top, there is an amazing ceiling wide view of space and the earth. It's gorgeous! Then, on the way down, you view stars. It's just beautiful. It was one of Emily's favorite rides. Savannah wasn't a fan of the dark, but I had bought the girls little pen light things, and that light was like her security blanket. If she got scared, she just turned it on. It was cute.

Then we went to Nemo and Turtle Talk With Crush. That is the coolest thing. It's Crush from Nemo, and they have it computer generated, but a guy is behind the screen actually responding to the audience. He called on Emily to talk to him. It was the cutest thing. By far, Turtle Talk was the best thing we saw that day.

Oh, Epcot was also the place where we got to stand in ONE line and see Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto all at the same time. That was nice. The line was long, but huge flat panel TV's showing cartoons were strategically placed...gotta love Disney.

We left that afternoon for a long rest time, because we had plans to go back to Magic Kingdom that night to watch the parade and fireworks. The parade was at 9, and the fireworks at 10, so I knew the girls had to have a nap. With the crowds, I figured we wouldn't make it home till around midnight, and I was correct. We got to Magic Kingdom at 7 to secure our spot for the parade, and it was already PACKED! We got an awesome spot, and sat there for 2 hours...in the cold...yeah, maybe we're a little crazy, but it was worth it. We were sitting on the curb right by the parade route, and got to interact with the characters in the parade. Snow White actually shook Savannah's hand, and I thought she was going to wet herself. She was SO excited, and she's still talking about it. THAT makes it all worthwhile to this mom.

The fireworks were amazing, although Savannah again, wasn't a fan. She is very different from Emily. When Emily was scared by something the first time we went to Disney, she screamed and cried until she was removed from the situation. If Vannah is scared, 9 times out of 10, we didn't know it. All of a sudden we would look over at her and she would have her hands over her eyes. She never cried or whimpered, just covered her eyes. During the fireworks, I saw her hands over her eyes. So, I put her on my mom's lap, and she buried her face in my mom's shoulder. She was so bundled, I was scared that she couldn't breathe, so I kept saying, "Are you ok?" and she would say, "Yeah, I'm ok...is it over yet?" Afterwards, she said, "That was awesome!" ha ha
It was a great day...we didn't get to see the World Showcase at Epcot on this day, but we went back. The girls had so much fun. The adults were tired! We decided to sleep in the next morning and just take things slow.....more on that later!

Whew, two days down!

I love the faces of the girls when they're with the characters. Savannah was SO excited to meet Minnie.

This is what your face starts to do when you've been asked to pose for pictures 1000 times in an hour.

Watching the parade and the fireworks.

Decade in Review

2010-01-03T22:25:00.002-06:00

This is so not what I'm supposed to be blogging about (I know you all can't wait for the Disney report), but I thought this was a really cool thing that my friend, Shannon, did, so I wanted to do it too.
Here is a brief overview of our decade:

2000
I started it in my junior year of college, engaged to the love of my life.
Finished it halfway done with my senior year of college and furiously planning a wedding

2001
Brian's mom died in April. Our first heartbreak as a couple.
Graduated college with my bachelors in Accounting.
Married Brian after 3 years of dating.
September 11th was the first time I felt both scared and proud to be a military spouse.
Started working as an accountant at a Home Health Agency.

2002
Was laid off in a company wide downsize 1 month after we found out I was pregnant.
Our precious firstborn daughter, Emily Anne was born in December of that year.

2003
Brian left for Qatar when Emily was just 5 weeks old.
My brother got married.
Brian came home in June.

2004
Brian was deployed again from June-September
Suffered our first miscarriage in November

2005
Another miscarriage occurred in April
Had 2 different surgeries
We found out in June that Brian had orders to Sheppard AFB, TX
Said good-bye to NC and my parents....sad day

2006
Found out I was pregnant with baby #4 in January.
Spent a LOT of time pleading with God to let us keep this baby.
My Savannah Lynn was born in September of this year.

2007
Spent a lot of the year agonizing over Savannah's skin

2008
A LOAD of health problems : 1 ambulance ride, 1 hospital stay, tons of antibiotics, my mom's heart surgery and everything thereafter.
Brian didn't pass his tech test...again!

2009
A piece of cake year in comparison to the last
Brian was deployed January-May (I was upheld by amazing people...you know who you are)
We had TWO amazing vacations with my parents.
Found out we had orders to our #1 choice, Langley AFB, VA
I visited my BFF Melanie in September
Brian sewed on Tech Sgt in November
Found out my sister/friend Sarah is expecting baby #3!!! A true miracle from God.

We have had some rough times. I don't know if the good outweighed the hard times, but I know that God is in control of it all. We have grown in our church in Wichita Falls more than we've ever grown in all our spiritual lives. We thank HIM for everything HE has given us. It all comes from HIM and we are blessed beyond measure.

We're Home

2010-01-02T08:37:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to say we made it home from our Christmas vacation! We took over 600 pictures from Disney and Christmas, and I can't wait to share them with you. Not all 600....don't worry. I wonder how long it would take Blogger to upload all those...hmm. Anyway. I will try to do that when I have everything unpacked, grocery shopping done, lesson plans made, no Bowl Games to watch, and a quiet moment. It may be a while.

Happy 2010 everyone! Make this one count for Christ!!

Disney Day 1--Magic Kingdom

2009-12-18T20:05:00.007-06:00

I had this post already complete, just needing pictures, then I didn't post it. Since it was written the day we actually went to the park, it was kinda lame. So, I'm going to summarize and let the pictures do the talking.
We woke up Friday morning to a very gray, drippy sky. The weather was daunting. Dad wanted to wait until later in the afternoon when the forecast was a little more bright. We had read that even if it was raining, you HAD to go to Disney anyway. The crowds would be less, the weather cooler, and the rain never lasts all day. Brian made an executive decision...we were going! So, off we went to Magic Kingdom.
Disney World....the happiest place on earth. Umm....some parents didn't get the memo. I can't tell you how many parents were yelling at their kids! I get it to a degree. You have all these expectations for your kids, and when they whine at the least little thing, you first reaction is to explode!! "We're at Disney World for goodness sakes!!" But, seriously, people.
Anyway, that was just my soapbox. The crowds were almost non-existent. We walked in, grabbed a couple autographs, went to Dumbo. Now, I'd heard from my personal Disney Assistant that if you don't go strait to Dumbo, you'd be waiting longer than an hour to ride. We finally made it to Dumbo, and mom and I took the girls. While we were waiting (only about 10 minutes, I might add) a downpour came. You could almost hear everyone in Magic Kingdom shriek! It was kinda funny. But the rain lasted about 15 seconds, and it was over. We rode Dumbo twice, the Carousel, Buzz Lightyear, Small World, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and I'm sure more that I can't remember. It kinda of sprinkled the rest of the day, but the fact that there were no crowds, made it all worth it.
We left for rest time, and went back to finish up. The park closed at 7:00, so we went back to the house and regrouped for Day 2....Epcot. I'll post on that tomorrow....maybe. I promise to be done with Disney Posts by the time we move.

The best way to get through a long plane trip?? STARBUCKS!!! (just kidding, there was orange juice in these cups.)

The girls saw this statue thing in the Orlando Airport, and they were taking a picture with it, when they noticed Meme and Papa. So cute.

The monorail rides were just as much fun as the attractions.

Buzz was asking for kisses from all the cute girls. Well, just as they kissed his cheek, I thought, "Hm, how many kids have kissed that cheek." ICK!!!

The tram rides to the parking lots were COLD!

Emily's Birthday

2009-12-10T18:44:00.004-06:00

Emily had a great birthday! She said it was the best she'd ever had. I think she's said that about every birthday she's ever had. But, isn't that the way it's supposed to be? Here are some pictures from her day.

It started with a breakfast for champions....DONUTS!! Brian took her to get them (in the 5 degree weather...literally) while I set out all the clues for her annual birthday scavenger hunt.

One of her favorite presents of the day. A $5 stuffed Mickey Mouse.

Opening her Nintendo DS.

Meme and Papa can't leave out Savannah!

Skype-ing with Meme and Papa while we do the scavenger hunt. It was so neat to have them included on everything. Technology is wonderful!

I told her she could invite 2 friends to Chuck E. Cheese. She quickly convinced me that siblings count as one unit. We had a really good time.

She wanted a Mickey cake. An ice cream one....in December....do you recall the 5 degree weather? It wasn't much warmer that afternoon.

This is Axie, and this picture is just because she's cute.

Happy Birthday, Emily!

2009-12-09T07:25:00.012-06:00

Almost 8 years ago, Brian and I went to the hospital to visit a friend. On the way out, we (spurred by me, I'm sure) walked by the nursery. After Oo-ing and Aw-ing over the newborns, we decided that we would sit down and have an intelligent conversation about when we would try to have a baby (it seems almost funny, now). So, a couple days later, we sat down, and decided that yes, we were ready for a baby. One month later, I found out I was pregnant. I had the best pregnancy with Emily. It was fun! I lost my job when I was 4 months along, and look back now, and think, "What did I do?" When we found out she was a girl, we went pink! Her room was pepto pink. Around this exact time, 7 years ago, I was getting ready to go to class (I had high medical secretarial aspirations), and I was feeling great. I had gone to the Dr that morning, and he had told me I could go up to two more weeks, at least! That afternoon, I packaged up all of Brian's family's Christmas presents, mailed them off, and then had lunch with my parents. Leftover Sunday dinner, salsa chicken (isn't it funny the things you remember?)

Brian left for work, and about 30 minutes later, I got a stomach ache. I thought the salsa chicken wasn't agreeing with me. When the "stomach aches" started leaving and coming back every 5 minutes, I called my mom (not to disturb Brian in case it was a false alarm). 4 hours later, Emily Anne Moix was born. There was a lot that happened between there that I find really interesting, but I'm sure you've heard enough.

Emily is a true joy in our lives. She was the best baby....never cried. She is sensitive, caring, talkative, and a great big sister. She is a self-proclaimed tom-boy, and likes everything Star Wars. Getting her to put a dress on for church is a struggle, but she sure is cute when she does.

We love you, Emily. You are so special to us. I'm so glad God gave you to me!

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday

5th Birthday (otherwise known as her 'sick birthday')

6th Birthday

Still Friends After All These Years!

March 2005

January 2009

August 2004

September 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T19:02:00.003-06:00

During art class today (you like that? It makes it sound like we do it every week!), Emily and Savannah made a Blessing Plant. They listed things they are thankful for. The list ranged from sweet to funny to outright, "Huh?"

Vannah was thankful for (she really came up with these on her own):

Papa, trees, my kitten (her latest favorite stuffed animal), God, Emily, Popeye, and the girl from Popeye (I have no idea)

Emily's list:

Meme, Snowball (her latest favorite stuffed animal), Jesus, grapes, water, love, the Bible, Savannah, the sun, and rain.

They had a good time, and it was neat to hear what they're thankful for. Even if daddy and I didn't make their list.

Random Happenings

2009-11-19T08:28:00.004-06:00

We've had some busy times the last couple weeks. It's been fun!! I just wanted to share a couple pics from our happenings.

The girls have enjoyed our warm temperatures and have been spending a lot of time outside. Yes, that is our screen door laying on the ground substituting for a boat, I believe.

Our friends Ray and Keren came to visit on their way to Idaho. They are PCS-ing to Mt. Home AFB. It's going to be so weird for them not to be in NC when we go visit. While they were here, they announced that their first baby is due in July. SO excited for them .

Emily loves to do art work with Keren (who is a real live artist. :) )

I posted this picture only so you can notice poor, tired, Ray in the background. His peace was short lived....

See? Savannah decided she wanted to take a nap, too.

He soon gave up.

And finally, a little note my sweet daughter left on the kitchen counter. Love to see how the Holy Spirit guides her. She prayed today that if God wanted her to go to Italy (random country) to tell others about Him, she would go...if I would let her. :)

Only.....

2009-11-16T08:14:00.002-06:00

1 Month!!! 1 month 1 month 1 month!!!!!!!!
I'm not excited in the least, can you tell?? We decided to send Emily on a scavenger hunt for her birthday and give her little clues before the big reveal that we're going to Disney World! We're going to keep it a surprise that Meme and Papa are meeting us there. Can NOT wait!!!!!

Fall Fun

2009-11-06T07:09:00.006-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I saw on Food Network one of the chefs making donuts! I thought, "Hm, we've never done that before, let's try it!" So, last Saturday, we made donuts as a family. The recipe was for "Copycat Krispe Kreme Donuts". Well, they weren't Krispe Kreme, but they were pretty yummy...the first day. They didn't store very well. But, the girls had a good time, and that's what matters.

Savannah cutting the big hole with a cup!

Emily cutting the small hole with the lid from a water bottle. :) Hey, you do what you have to do.

The finished product

Sisters

2009-10-26T08:44:00.000-05:00

It is so nice that Emily can pick up a book and read to Savannah, now. They are laying on the floor in the playroom closet just reading before bed. Vannah had to bring everything from her bed to the closet, of course. Notice also, that the play lizard had to be on the pillow and covered with her blanket. So silly.

Swine '09

2009-10-15T08:05:00.005-05:00

We bought a T-shirt for Emily when we went to the Razorback game in September that said, "I don't have Swine Flu, I have Hog Fever!!" At the time, it was funny! Ok, it's still kinda funny, but not as funny when you see your child with Swine Flu.

Yep, on Saturday I took Emily to an urgent care clinic where they tested her, and it was positive. I actually started laughing! Last April, was when we got the first scare of Swine Flu. We stayed home for a couple days, took disinfectant wipes with us everywhere, and talked about how horrible it would be if that happened to us! That all became reality! I just couldn't believe it. Thankfully, by God's grace, Emily (so far) has had a mild case of it. I'm still watching the respiratory part, but she seems ok. We are being very cautious about returning to the land of the living, so it'll be a while before we're out and about, but she seems to be recovering.

At this point, 12 people (mostly kids) in our church have caught this flu. That's just crazy! Pray for our church as we recover. Pray that this will be stopped, and no one else will get it!

Savannah is fine. She has some sort of virus that attacked her tonsils, but seems completely fine. I have a little cough, and a mild case of laryngitis (which doesn't bother the kids at all). Brian feels fine, thank the Lord.

So, that's an update on what's going on here. Pray that Emily won't develop any complications to this nasty flu! Also, pray for Melanie's husband, Matthew, as he is on his way HOME from Iraq.

Home Again, Home Again

2009-10-05T08:04:00.017-05:00

As I sit here, clothes and other various and sundry items are spilling forth out of suit cases, but the house is quiet (the time change coming home is glorious), and I have a certain set of grandparents that are dying to see pictures, so I am going to blog before I attack the house.

We had an incredible time in Washington with Melanie and her kids. Emma (5) and Emily get along SO well! The only "discussion" they had the entire time we were there regarded Emily wanting to play cars and Emma wanting to play princesses. They are two very different little girls (oh the stories I could tell), but they get along so well, and had such a good time. Savannah and Callie (2) on the other hand......no, they did ok......we'll give them a few years to figure out how much they like each other. :) Noah is the most pleasant baby that anyone could ask for. I enjoyed him so much! Melanie and I talked, and laughed, and watched movies, and laughed, and read books....and laughed some more. We had an amazing time. Thank you Melanie for having us in your home for 10 whole days, for putting up with the smell of my coffee every morning (which, by the way, she equating to "holding my nose like I do when I change a dirty diaper" ha ha), putting up with my daughter who would eat nothing you cooked, and refreshing this mom for the next surge in life. We had a great time, and can't wait until next year when we'll be SO much closer!

Now, without further ado...pictures....and lots of them. People are just going to have to bear with me.

Emily and Emma twirling. Emma was displaying her new twirly skirt. Emily, well...Emily just likes to move.

At the International Fountain in Seattle.

Sitting in some sort of footprint at the Pacific Science Center

At Pikes Place Market. SUCH a fun place...a little hard with strollers, but still fun.

The first ever Starbucks.

All our kiddos on Sunday morning.

At Melanie's church's carnival.

They rode this slide several times.

Yeah, they loved each other. ha ha

Noah being his smiley self

They spent lots of time in Melanie's backyard.

Thankfully, they couldn't point the guns at each other. ha ha

Petting a bunny...well, standing next to a bunny

At the Puyallup Fair

The next couple shots are for comparison...just cause I like that kind of thing.

March 2008

Present

March 2007

Present....I should comment however, that they were not the same dresses. :)

Lead Me in Thy Truth......

2009-09-10T11:01:00.004-05:00

Emily started her 4th year in Truth Trackers last night. She moved up to the next group called Scripture Spies. She now has daily devotions and verses that accumulate week to week.

Savannah also started the Tiny Tracker program. I can't believe she isn't in the nursery anymore. It blows my mind!! Here is a picture of Emily's first year as a Tiny Tracker, and the girls last night.

My Baby Turns 3!

2009-09-07T18:51:00.002-05:00

Three years ago at this moment, I had a baby that was less than 1 hour old. We worried, "How will we love another like we love our first?" Within 30 seconds of her being in my arms, I knew I had worried for nothing. Savannah is my long awaited child. We had suffered 2 miscarriages and over a year of waiting for her. She was SO worth the wait. Even though she is by far my most difficult child, she makes up for it in personality and beauty. She has endured more suffering in her 3 years than any child should, and still wakes up every morning with a smile on her face and a sparkle in her beautiful blue eyes. Dear God, thank YOU for my beautiful, blond haired, blue eyed baby girl....she was worth the wait.

She had two parties this year....more pictures of those to follow this week.

First Day of School!

2009-08-25T06:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Emily started the 1st grade. She was so excited (which made mommy happy). This year, we decided that I was going to teach her instead of doing videos like we did last year, and boy, is it better! She's happier, I'm happier, and it's a lot faster! We started around 9:30 (there's a reason why we got such a late start) and we were done by 11:00! I know that later in the year, it will take longer, but we're easing our way in. Here are some pictures from her first day.

She had a weird start to her year. I loaded her up and carted her off to Sarah's house at 8 in the morning. Sarah, being the great friend and ingenious homeschooler that she is, had a desk all ready for her and plans to include her in her school day. Thanks, Sarah!! Savannah had a Dr's appointment yesterday morning, so that's why we got such a late start. I can't give the details about Savannah's appointment here, because that post title needs to be something like, "Nurses at pediatrics that don't know what they're doing" or something like that....it's for another time. :)

My Heavenly Father

2009-08-22T08:15:00.004-05:00

Emily has a flair for the dramatic. I have no idea where she gets it. Ok, ok, now that my closest friends are laughing, maybe I do know where she gets it. Just like I know where I get it. Ahem. Anyway. Everything is "the end of the world" to her. If she asks for a friend to spend the night, or if someone to come over, and is told 'no', she melts down like it's the end of the world as she knows it (please don't embellish me with the fact that this is a disciplinary issue...I get it). She asks "Why?" and "I've been good!" and all other sorts of 6 year old type of questions. But you know what? I'm her mother. I'm (a little) wiser than she is, and I can handle it. I know my reasons, and even if she doesn't agree, they are better for her in the long run. So, I listen to her questions and cries, and just assure her that I know what's best.
It's really hit me in the last couple weeks that our Heavenly Father does this with us! When something doesn't happen the way we think it should or in the timing that we think it should have happened, don't we ask all the irrational "Why's" and "I've been trying to live for You!" question? No? Well, I do. Case in point: Wait...I have several to choose from...Hmmm....Ok. ok...got one

Last year, Brian didn't make Tech....again. It was the year that we thought, "He has to make it. There's no way he can't make it." Well, there was a way, because he didn't. I'll never forget the day he got the results. I did the "ugly cry" (thanks, Shan). I'll admit, I asked God why. I reasoned with Him that I was trying to live for Him, and I was doing better than "some" people. ha ha It sounds stupid now, but at the time, I was so angry and hurt! But, you know what? He can handle it. Psalm 22:24 reads,

For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him, He heard.

He heard me...He listened to my questions and cries, and then, through His word, He assured me that He knew best. Over a year later, I see it. Not that He knew best, because He has shown me that in His Word over and over. But, He graciously (because He doesn't have to, and doesn't always) showed me the evidence that He knew best. We recently got orders to our #1 choice of places to go. Langley AFB, VA. We are so super excited that it's hard to wait for the time to go. We have been told that if Brian had made Tech last year, that he would more than likely have gotten orders to Korea....for a year....by himself. God knows what is best for me. Is there a day coming where I don't have the ugly cries and questions, but just accept that He knows best and praise Him for His way? I hope so. (please don't embellish with the fact that this is a disciplinary issue...I get it).

On another note of praise to the Lord. Seven months ago, I wrote a post about how when our hearts were so overwhelmed with grief, we could go to God's Word, and rest in the fact that He has a plan, and He knows best. I was overwhelmed with grief about Savannah's skin issues. She was so covered in eczema that I worried that she would lose even her sight due to infections on her eyelids. I cried the ugly cry....again. I turned it over to the Lord, and trusted in Him to heal her. I can't tell you how Ephesians 3:20 has been revealed in our lives.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Last Tuesday, we went to a flag football game and Savannah wore shoes without socks. Whoopty-do, you say? You have no idea how huge this is for me. Savannah has to wear socks....every day, all the time. If not, she scratches her ankles open. Yes, open. However, her skin is doing so great, that she didn't have to wear socks that day. Why her skin is doing so well is the topic for another post, but this post is just to praise the Lord for His goodness. Her skin is so clear, and she is almost completely itch free. Has she outgrown the severity? have I found the problem? I don't know. I do know that the Lord has granted me a 2 month reprieve of the grief I feel for her, and I Praise His Name!!!

This was all very random, and I don't usually blog about things like this, but I felt led to do this. I don't want to ever fall short of offering praise to my Heavenly Father for His plan in my life.

Exciting News!!!

2009-08-18T17:39:00.003-05:00

Remember in this post I mentioned something about a new assignment and a trip to Washington?? Well, both of those things have come to fruition in the past couple weeks.
The girls and I are going to Washington (state) to visit my BFF and Emily's BFF and Savannah's soon to be BFF and....Noah. :) Matthew will be coming home from Iraq in October, and we are going to help those last weeks go a little faster. We're so excited and already planning fun things to do. I, for one, can't WAIT to visit the first ever Starbucks that is located in Seattle.
And, in even BIGGER news, we got orders!!!! We have been wanting orders for several weeks now, and Brian called me last Friday very excited that his assignment page (I'm sure there is a more official name for it than that) had changed and we finally got orders. Not only did we get orders, but we got orders to our number 1 pick!!!! We are going to Langley AFB, in Hampton, VA!!!! It is only 3 and a half hours from home, and after January, only 3 and a half hours from the aforementioned BFF!!! We are super excited, but a little bummed that our report date isn't until August 2010. That seems so far away, but I know it will go fast.
School starts in 6 days!! I'm excited and dread it all at the same time. Sorry no pictures this time. I'm sure I'll have some next week.

Milestone

2009-08-15T09:56:00.003-05:00

Emily had a major milestone in her life yesterday. She finally lost a tooth. She will be 7 in 4 months and she thought she'd never lost her first tooth. She and Savannah were playing and Emily had a rope of some sort in her mouth, and Savannah gave a firm yank and out it popped!! She was very excited! More so excited this morning she woke up this morning and the tooth fairy had left her $5!! Really, daddy?? Anyway...inflation, I guess.

More Summer Happenings

2009-08-07T09:59:00.004-05:00

I was looking through my camera yesterday and noticed that I hadn't posted pics of Brian's 33 birthday. Yes, 33....I know...he's old. :) We had an ice cream cake that was horrible...very long story...you don't want to know. Anyway, we had a good time with him!

Also, here are a couple pictures from our Backyard Bible Club that we had that same week. It was crazy busy, but an absolute blessing.

We averaged about 21 kids each day.

They got to decorate cookies on the last day.

Even Savannah joined the fun.

Savannah has been enjoying some one on one time with mommy and daddy since Emily has been gone. Her favorite game to play with daddy is hide and seek. She seeks him and he scares her to death! It's so cute.

Notice the cat...he got scared, too. Also notice Van's pink nose...mommy forgot face sunscreen. Oops

Jill and Axie came over the other day and Emily got to talk to them on the computer. Gotta love Skype.

Summer....Please Don't Go!!!

2009-08-01T07:06:00.005-05:00

Can you believe today is August 1st? I can not believe that summer is almost over! It's crazy!! We have had an incredible summer. It started with Brian coming home and our fabulous beach vacation. Then, the water park every day (I still need to post pictures of that). July 4th was so much fun, and then Emily's last minute trip to Meme and Papa's. I can't believe I'm making lesson plans and buying school supplies. Ugh....ok...enough complaining. Here are some pictures of Emily's good time at my mom and dad's.

They stopped at my grandpa's on the way home. He'll be 93 this November (he's the one on the right. ha ha).

Mmm..Krispy Kreme

Yeah...we won't talk about this one.

She loves it there. I have a lot of people tell me, "What are you going to DO while she's gone?" or "You're so brave to let her go!" or my personal favorite, "I could never do that!" Not sure if that indicates that I'm a bad mom, or a super cool mom. Anyway...a lot of people don't understand the dynamic that abides between my parents and us and my girls. My parents aren't the Generation X grandparents that so many kids have these days. You know, the grandparents that are still career driven and have the "My kids are gone, this is ME time." mindset. They are the typical Cosby Show Grandparents. Remember how the grandparents would come over and the minute they walked in the door, they were gushing, "Where's my babies?" and the kids were getting quarters from Grandad? That's my parents. I thank God every day that my girls have real grandparents. I want both of them to look back at their childhood and say, "I remember summers with my Grandparents..." and launch into stories of beach trips, and getting all their favorite meals, and eating cupcakes at 9:00 at night. Thanks, mom and dad, for being the BEST grandparents two little girls could ask for. Maybe next year, you can have them both.... :)

So, off that soapbox. To address the "What will you DO while she's gone?" question. Savannah is almost (I would say 99.5%) potty trained!! I didn't do anything different to make her do it, it just finally clicked. She gets SO excited when she "goes", and I am SO excited that we aren't using as many diapers. She still wears them at night, but one a day will last for a long time.

Enjoy what's left of your summer. I know I am! School will be upon us too soon. Stay tuned for exciting news about trip to Washington to see Melanie and the kids....AND stay tuned for news about a new assignment....I'm not holding out on either of those, it's just we don't know yet.

Catching Up

2009-07-26T18:35:00.002-05:00

It has been a crazy couple of weeks!!! Two weeks ago was our church's Backyard Bible Club. I helped with one of the clubs, and it was SO much fun!! We had an average of 20 kids every day, and I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or the teachers. It was tiring, but we had a good time, and the kids were amazing! Emily worked VERY hard at memorizing 29 verses in 4 days, and was awarded a brand new Bible with her name on it. If I were a good mom, I would have pictures of this, but I don't.
Last Sunday night, a dear couple friend of ours had their 7 day old baby, Josias, air lifted to Cook Children's Hospital in Dallas to treat a couple different infections that he has. Please pray for this family as today marks day 7 of their hospital stay, and they are looking at at least 7 more days. Mom and Dad's names are Faith and Josh Longoria, and they are so tired. They have been sustained by God's grace, and are such a great example of trusting in the Lord. Pray that they will find rest and be able to come home soon.
Sarah was preparing for a trip home to SC this week, and my mom mentioned how she wished Emily could come with her. I laughingly mentioned it to Sarah on Thursday afternoon, and she said, "She can come with me, I don't mind." I thought she was crazy to trek 1300 miles with 3 kids. Well, partway with 4 kids. She dropped her nephew off on the way. But, after a lot of talking, we decided to let Emily go. She was so excited, and she was reunited with her Meme and Papa this evening. Again, a good mom would have pictures of her leaving, but it was too crazy.
So, that's what we've been up to. Brian takes his promotion test this Friday. Please pray for him to be able to spend this week studying and preparing. I'm not sure how long it will be before we have results, but please pray that this year he will be able to put on his next stripe.
Hope ya'll are having a good week. Remember those around you who are suffering and thank God for your health, and the grace and mercy HE bestows in your lives!

My Difficult Child

2009-07-17T08:03:00.002-05:00

Sooo....Savannah will be 3 in September....and she's not potty trained. I know, I know, she's a little old to not be potty trained. Emily was 3 months shy of 3 before she potty trained, BUT, she potty trained in 12 hours. Seriously. She had one accident, and that was it. She never had any more trouble. I figured I'd let Vannah wait and she would be as easy. Not so much. We've tried on several different occasions. We've tried several different methods. Nothing. Not even once.
So, my mom sends her a "Potty Book". It's a cute book about being a big girl and getting rid of diapers. This is how the conversation went. (It was right before nap time)

Me: "Look! Vannah!! Meme sent you a book about being a big girl and going pee-pee on the potty! Do you want to take it to bed with you and look at it?"

Vannah: "I don't want it."

Me: "Why not? It's a new book!"

Vannah: "No...I don't want it!!"

When she woke up.....

Me: "Van, go show your new book to Daddy!"

Vannah: "No, I don't want to."

Me: "Why not?"

Vannah: "Cause, I don't want it."

SO! We now know that she gets what she is supposed to do...she just doesn't WANT to! :) Anyone have any suggestions? Please don't suggest letting her run naked, or spanking her into doing it because we've tried both, and they don't work. Anything else???

Vannah

2009-07-08T21:13:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics of my Vannah. Had to post them...she's too cute.

Juice and July 4th

2009-07-06T10:16:00.005-05:00

Ok, so the title is stupid, and I really only have one thing to say about Juice. We got a juicer!! I'm super excited about it because I have a certain 2 year old who shall remain nameless that doesn't like vegetables. She will not eat vegetables. For all of you pious parents who are thinking, "She will if she got hungry enough." I say, no, she wouldn't. We played that route with Emily when she was 2. She would eat that cooked carrot, and would not move until she did. Two hours later of her crying with orange drool dripping off her chin, we gave in. The next morning, she was hoarse from crying. We decided then and there, that we would never make our children eat something (after trying it once, of course). Side note: Emily still hates cooked carrots. She'll eat them raw, but not cooked. Anyway, I'm off the point. So we got a juicer, and the girls LOVE it!! Here, they are drinking, apple, carrot, spinach juice.

We had an incredible Fourth of July. We had planned on going back to Hot Springs, to see Brian's family, but had some unforeseen truck repair payments come up, so we decided to take a mini vacation down to Dallas/Fort Worth. We went to two children's museum (one of which we got in for free!) and watched fireworks at the Cotton Bowl on the Fourth. Then, yesterday, we slept in, went to Whole Foods Market for yummy fresh ground peanut butter, ate breakfast at 11:30, then shopping at Grapevine Mills Mall for the rest of the day. Ok, so, yesterday, was mostly for mommy, but the rest of the family had fun, too. We hit a great sale at the Disney Outlet store, and the girls got stuffed Bolts. They were SO excited!!

The first museum was the Fort Worth Cowgirl Museum. Brian and I thought it was lame, but the girls had fun.

The second museum was the Dallas Nature and Science Museum. It was much more fun...and free! All because we are Bank of America members. Yay!

It was SO hot!! We got to the stadium 2 and a half hours before the show started. They only opened half of the seating, but eventually, all 45,000 seats were full, We had great seats, but, MAN, those bleachers get hard after a while. It was obnoxiously loud. Not the fireworks, but the music that went along with it! The girls were not amused.

The carousel at Grapevine Mills Mall. We went there before Savannah was even thought of, and it cost 50 cents...it's TWO DOLLARS now. Sheesh!

It was so nice to get away for a few days and just enjoy being together!!

On a side note, Savannah is just getting over (still not completely) being really sick! Here she was at her most pitiful. :(

Fun Times

2009-06-24T09:36:00.003-05:00

This has been the month for seeing old friends! Not old friends, but friends of old. :) Remember, we saw (some of) the Bethels, and the Spences. This past Monday, we saw the Riddle family!! Brad and Carrie are dear friends of ours from North Carolina. They are a very special family. Brad outranked all the guys at our church (by a LOT), but he made a point to never let that be an issue. He told Brian on one of the first visits to the church, "We are all the same rank in the eyes of God." I'll never forget that, because Brian was very intimidated and Brad put him right at ease. I'll also never forget the first time Carrie invited me over to her house for dinner. I think Brian was deployed, and I was SUPER nervous. I had a toddler, and while Carrie also had toddlers, I just knew that Emily would go in and ruin everything she had. Afterall, they lived in a commander's house!! I could not have been more wrong. I was very at ease in the house. Brad and Carrie, you guys have been good friends and mentors to us over the years. We appreciate your friendship more than you know!!

They are also friends with Tim and Sarah, so they came over to grill out and enjoy a good time!!

Back Row: Sarah, Carrie, Brad

Front Row: Andrew, Jonathan, Emily, Katy

Eleven Years!

2009-06-20T15:18:00.005-05:00

Eleven years ago today, Brian and I started dating. Two weeks later, he told me, "I'm going to marry you." I told him he was crazy! Well, evidently he wasn't too crazy. :) I love you baby!!! It's been the best 11 years I could imagine!

Look how young we are!! We weren't even officially "dating" here. I had just returned from a trip where I had broken up with my boyfriend. ha ha

I remember my mom saying, "Excuse me?" We were engaged here.

My college graduation!

Yay! Our wedding day!

Then our family started growing....

Another addition....

The final family....no more to grow. hee hee

We Are Family!

2009-06-17T07:59:00.010-05:00

One thing we really enjoyed on our trip was all the time we got to spend with family. We were with my family at the beach, then on the way home, we stopped in Hot Springs for a couple days to be with Brian's family. We come from two very different families, but we enjoy our visits with both sides.

This was the story of the week.Savannah could lead her Papa anywhere.

We had fun with our friends, my parents

This is Brian's Aunt Lucy and Uncle Denver...and Allison (the dog). They spoil our girls like another set of grandparents. We love, love, LOVE, going to their house.

The girls enjoying Brian's grandma.

Brian and his dad.

We also really enjoyed just being able to be with our girls and not focusing on work, housework, or anything like that. It was a special time.

At one of the hot springs in Hot Springs. (they were SO hot!!!)

Me and Van at a rest area (slash get out some energy place)

Brian and the girls at the Tennessee Welcome Center

Brian and Van hydrating at the beach.

OK. OK. Family Shmamily..I had to keep up with my friends. :)

Back to Reality

2009-06-13T13:59:00.006-05:00

We returned home from our vacation yesterday afternoon. While we had an amazing time away, and thoroughly enjoyed everything, we were very happy to be home. I think all in all, I have 234 pictures from vacation. Don't panic!! I'm not going to put them all on here. I'm going to try to post a couple in the next few days of the hi-lites. I'll try not to subject you to endless pictures of my beautiful babies on the beach. ha ha

One thing we got to do while gone was see two different sets of VERY good friends of ours. The first was Melanie and 2 of her kids. We met in Wytheville, VA (which is very beautiful) for lunch. It was so good to see her again, and can't wait for next time when (hopefully) Matthew will be home from Iraq.

Savannah, Emily and Emma. Emily and Emma are like their mommies in that they can pick up exactly where they left off....several months later.

This was our first time meeting Noah. He is SUCH a good baby....(I can't believe you have a boy) :)

Here is our group...minus Callie.

On the way home we saw Aaron and Darla Spence and their 2 kids (+ one in Mommy's belly). We haven't seen Aaron in a long time as he has been faithfully serving our country in Korea, and then Iraq. It was fun to hang out with them in Nashville, TN.

Emily and Mason were adorable!!! They "had to hold hands" in the mall. Their daddy's rolled their eyes, sighed, and thought about dreaded days to come.

After a brief warming up period, Savannah and Maggie had SO much fun together.

Little Maggie is simply adorable.

The Spence family together again!

When they said good-bye, you'd have thought they were long lost loves.

More Beach News

2009-06-03T15:12:00.004-05:00

We are having SO much fun here at the beach. Emily got a little dehydrated yesterday...ok, a lot dehydrated...who is her mother, anyway? Last night wasn't too fun for her, but she is much better today. I can't believe it's Wednesday already. Why does time go SO fast when you're on vacation? It's not fair. Who said life was fair...yadda yadda.

Keren came down last night and spent the night with us, and most of today. It was good to see her and get to spend a little time with her since we won't be in Goldsboro that much this trip. Here are some more pictures...just so ya'll can be jealous. haha

Keren and the girls playing on the beach!

Papa brought something to roast marshmallows on. He thinks of everything!

Emily loves the water.

A wise woman once told me...Mom's don't get vacations, they just take their show on the road. :)

Everyone has laughed at me for taking this picture, but seriously, have you ever seen so much goodness all at once. ha ha

Brian cooking ribs

My 200th Post

2009-05-30T15:36:00.005-05:00

There is nothing more fitting for my 200th post than pictures from our beautiful vacation. We left last Tuesday night, and headed east. I have pictures from out drive and our great visit with my best friend, Melanie, but they are on my camera...which is back at my parents house. We are at the North Topsail Beach, NC. Thankfully, my dad has a camera, so I can still take pictures. Here are a few. We are having a great time, and I'm sure I'll have more pictures to show for it.

This is what happens after a couple hours on the beach. The house is 2 stories, and the girls were up and down the stairs endless times last night. Emily's calves are sore!!

Relaxing before lunch.

This is where I sat while I had my quiet time this morning. The Lord made a beautiful day for us today

What we see when we step out the back door. :) LOVE IT!

Yes, I'm a bad mom, and Savannah's nose got a little red today. Oops. She likes wearing daddy's hat.

He's Home! He's Home

2009-05-22T19:47:00.002-05:00

Today was a VERY good day! Today, Brian came home. I can't tell you how rough these last four months have been for me (Sarah could probably give you a good idea haha) not to mention him. He got in this afternoon at 1:30, and it was SO nice to have our friends, Tim and Sarah, there to welcome him home, too. Sarah tried to get lots of pictures of the initial reunion, but the camera wouldn't cooperate, so this is the best we could do. The girls are ecstatic to have him home, and I'm quite chipper myself. :) Thanks for all the prayer over the last four months. We're leaving to go on vacation next week, and I'm super excited!!

More Allergy News

2009-05-15T16:07:00.003-05:00

I've been waiting to post about this for a while because I wanted allergy results in hand before I gave the news. Savannah's allergist called me earlier this week and told me that all of Savannah's allergy tests came back negative. Like....negative, negative. ZERO on everything...including peanuts. If you remember from my earlier post, her skin test showed that she was allergic to peanuts. I figured people had different versions of negative. I mean, if something is on a scale of 1-40,000 (the typical allergy scale), then technically 1500 is negative, but that would be a flag to me that it could be something to avoid. So I got the results today, and their scale is a little different. It goes from .35-100. If you are below .35, you are considered negative. She was below .35 on everything....except cats. Cats? Yes, we have one, but that was negative on the skin test, and she showed up as a 3.29...still a long way from 100. So...she's not allergic to peanuts? I'm confused.

I got the OK to get her tested for a latex allergy. I haven't done it yet, but I've switched to latex free diapers and I notice a difference!!

On another note, her skin looks better today than it has looked in months. Go ahead, ask the question that everyone around me is asking, "What are you doing?" You ready? NOTHING NEW!! She is off all high fructose corn syrup, peanuts, chocolate and milk, but is that making a difference? I have no idea. I don't know where this clearing has come from, and I really don't care. For now, I'm enjoying the happy girl with pretty skin!

Oh, and in case you missed it at the top....BRIAN WILL BE HOME IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-07T10:47:00.003-05:00

Emily has been quite distressed about Mother's Day this year . She was very aware that it was coming, but also aware that her daddy isn't here to help her prepare. So, last night, after church, she came carefully walking down the stairs of the church with a beam on her face that rivaled the sun. In her hands, she was clutching a plant in a clay pot that she had decorated. They made them for all the mom's in Tiny Trackers. Thank you, Kalli and Randy, for helping out a little girl without a daddy to take her shopping. You made her day (and mine)!!

Allergist Appointment

2009-05-02T10:34:00.003-05:00

**Warning--this is long**

We went to the Asthma and Allergy clinic in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. It's more than a 2 hour trek up there, and this time, I was blessed to have Sarah and my...er...her boys accompany Savannah and me. That drive is SO much easier with company.

My appointment was originally for 10 am. Sarah made an appointment up there at a different doctor for 10:30. THEN, my Dr called and changed my appointment to 11:00. So, I arrived a little more than an hour early. Thankfully, they had a TV and we watched Olivia until it was our turn. The nurse came out and said, "We don't do blood testing here anymore, and we're not sure if your insurance will cover it at our lab, so you may have to get blood taken at the base." Um, what? Blood testing is the entire reason I drove 2 hours up here! Inhale....exhale...

The Dr came shuffling in (on a walker...he'd had back surgery) and we started talking. He asked me some of the same questions he'd asked last time. I told him I had taken her off of peanuts, chocolate, and high fructose corn syrup. To which he replied, "Why didn't you just ask her to stop breathing?" HA! He tells me she needs the blood testing and also to be tested for IgE. I'm not sure exactly what that means. Evidently, if she has high levels of IgE, she can get injections monthly to keep her body from being so reactive to allergens. I need to research that a little more. He asked his nurse if my insurance would cover blood testing at OU Physicians, and she said yes, so off we go.

We got to the lab, and I was so nervous. Last time they tried to get blood, they couldn't. I have driven all the way up here, and I was really praying they were going to be able to get it. Plus, just the thought of holding her down so they could get the blood was giving me the shakes. Sarah was very calming. It was close to lunch, and we were starving! While we were waiting, I was looking at the foods that they were going to test for, and I said, "Man, I should have told him this." (I don't remember what it was). So, Sarah says, "Circle it!" So I circled about 5 more things....about 15 minutes later, I realized the Dr has a copy of that paperwork. Oh well....hopefully they won't realize it. :)

They called us back, and told us that they were making sure which tubes to use since they were testing for so many things. They came in, rubbed alcohol on her arm (right over her eczema...ouch!) and stuck the needle in. Savannah was screaming, and pulling, but the other nurse and I had a good hold on her, and praise the Lord, they got the vein on the first stick. They only took two vials. I was thinking it was going to take like 10! We left and went to Cheesecake Factory! Yum! That always makes the drive worth it.

The drive home was interesting. At one point, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw blue and red flashing lights right on my tail! AUGH! I looked down and was only doing 80..which is only 5 miles over the speed limit. I started shaking, and got over....thankfully, he obviously had bigger fish to fry and sped past me. Whew. Crisis one diverted....and speed lowered to 78.

Then, about 10 minutes later, I glanced back at Savannah, and she was rubbing her eyes. Not unusual...they itch, and she was tired. But I kept watching her and she started acting funny. I told her to look at me (I was still watching the road...don't worry) and she wouldn't. She would turn her head to my voice, but she wouldn't open her eyes. I alerted Sarah (who, thankfully was talking to her mom...an RN) and she tried to get Savannah to look at her. Mason finally got her to open her eyes a little, but they were rolled back in her head. I heard Sarah say, "Mom, she's not acting right." and I slowed down and put the hazards on and pulled over. I got out, got Savannah out. She was standing, but not talking or opening her eyes. Sarah's mom said to flush her eyes. The only water we had was ice cold, and Sarah filled her hand and rubbed it all over her face. It was like a light turned on. She opened her eyes and said, "That's better..thank you Miss Sarah!" Very scary. We don't know if the water flushed her eyes, or if the coldness woke her up from a passing out feeling. Crisis two diverted....and closer eye kept on Vannah.

That was all the excitement on the ride home. The results from her test will be back sometime next week. I'll let you know.

MEAN TIME! (If you haven't given up on me yet) Wednesday night, we noticed that Savannah's arms were covered in a rash. A new rash...and I mean covered. I broke down, because that's what I do when I'm tired and I can't get a grip on her skin. I came home, and researched rashes. The only one I could come up with that matched what this one looked like was meningitis. Um, I don't think that's the problem. Then, the next day, Savannah's 2nd caregiver (aka Sarah) said, "Jenn, I think Savannah may be allergic to latex!" Her arms were broken out on the places that those nurses were holding her down. Her ankles are broken out where her elastic pajamas rub her all day. Her body responds to the latex in her pacifiers. Hmmm....stand by for further developments.

3 DAYS UNTIL MEME COMES!!!

Fashionista

2009-04-27T21:43:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I have this friend named Kalli who is the most fashionable person I know...well...maybe my friend Flor, but they're good friends, so there you go...two birds of a feather and all that. Anyway, she is SO cute...cute haircut, cute clothes...you get the idea. The one thing that she always has is a cute purse. Anyway, my point is this, she knows fashion....not in a materialistic way, because she isn't materialistic at ALL. She is the sweetest, most generous person you could meet, but she just knows what's cute!! So she told me once that only really skinny people were supposed to carry little purses. If you're not a skinny minny, you're supposed to carry a large purse. Ok..I can do that. I found a purse (ok, it wasn't really a purse, it was on clearance at Target as a diaper bag, but don't tell) that was big, and cute, and I was going to be cute.

I HATE THAT PURSE!! I have missed more calls because I can't find my cell phone in the bottom of the abyss. I pulled 5 receipts and a diaper out of my "purse" at Target tonight before I found the correct receipt to give the guy at customer service who was looking at me like I had lost my mind! Anyway. I will continue to carry the purse, because it's cute, but the point of this blog is what I came across when I emptied the purse. THIS is what was in that thing.

Can you believe that? Yes, that is a diaper, a DVD and a swimsuit in that pile of receipts, post it notes, lotion and gum. Does anyone else have this problem? Or can you reach in and pull your cell phone out before the first ring has stopped??

Ok, on another note. Emily is having her first sleep over tonight with afore mentioned Kalli (well, really her daughter, Jill, but you get my drift). She was a little nervous...mommy was nervous, and Savannah had to be put to bed in my bed. :)

I am taking Savannah to Oklahoma City tomorrow for her follow up with her allergist. They are going to take blood for more allergy testing. They tried that last time, and couldn't get any. Pray for us as we travel, and that the techs will be able to get blood from her. I'll post later with the results!!

Brothers/Sisters

2009-04-19T22:30:00.003-05:00

Today, seconds before we snapped this picture, Emily proclaimed, "Now the family is together..all the brothers and sisters." Lord, thank you for providing brothers for my girls.

These were the 1st set of Easter dresses I got for the girls. Then, my mom sent me cuter ones. :)

Easter Pics

2009-04-11T08:40:00.003-05:00

So, I took Easter pictures yesterday. Mostly because I didn't want to be rushing around on Sunday morning and trying to take cute pictures. Also, because it's going to be cloudy and raining on Sunday morning. I can't tell you how thrilled Emily was to be getting dressed up on a Friday evening. That girl would wear jeans and a T-shirt every day if she had her way. When I told her that she would be wearing the dress again on Sunday, she wasn't happy. I explained to her that Easter was a special Sunday and "didn't she want to dress up nice for a special Sunday?" She said, "Isn't what you learn more important than what you wear?" I said, "Yes, but you're going to look nice while you learn it. Go Play." End of discussion. ha ha Ah, her teenage years are going to be SO fun. Anyway, I took about 30 pictures, and none of them were great, but this is what I could get.

No Reason

2009-04-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

For this post, I mean. I haven't posted any pics of the girls recently, so I thought I would. Enjoy! :)

Daddy's Little Ladies

2009-04-01T10:37:00.002-05:00

Daddy's going to be so, um, surprised (?) to come home and find his little ladies have turned into light-saber bearing Jedi's.

Prayers Needed

2009-03-24T07:59:00.006-05:00

This family is our family's best friends. This is Matthew, Melanie, Emma (5), Callie (1 1/2), and Noah (4 weeks). We met when we were all stationed together in North Carolina. Before Emma...when Emily was less than 1 year old. We clicked, and the rest is history. You know those military friends that you are SO close to, and then they move, and that friendship drifts apart? It happens....that's the military way. But not with Matthew and Melanie. We are just as close now as we were when we walked away from each other 3 years ago. At this moment, Emily hasn't seen Emma in almost a year, but still claims her as her BFF!

I'm asking you to pray for the Bethels in the coming weeks. Matthew is deploying soon. Noah is less than a month old. I weep as I type. My heart breaks for this family as Matthew has to leave his wife and 3 kids. God is a God of miracles, and that deployment could be canceled in the last moment. If He chooses that not to be His will, please pray for them as they go through the next several months.

Best Friends Forever! Emily and Emma last March

Future Best Friends Forever Savannah and Callie last March

The Women :) (Brian and Matthew are SO happy about Noah's arrival)

Savannah Update

2009-03-18T15:21:00.002-05:00

I haven't updated ya'll on the state of Savannah's skin in a long time. When I was in North Carolina, I decided to take her to the chiropractor. It is a hard decision to put your two year old's neck in someone's hands. I trust the chiropractor there. I knew that he would be able to tell me if he could help or not. So, I took Savannah to him for the 2 weeks that we were home. There was significant difference in her skin. Now, I know that not everyone out there believes in chiropractors, but all I can say is what works for us.
I came home, and her skin got really bad again. Especially her face. So, I undertook the mission of finding a chiropractor here that I trust. I quickly realized that it's more expensive here. But, I found one that was willing to see her for a free consultation and thought that at least he could tell me if he could help her.
I took her this morning, and he looked at her and said, "I see what you have going on." So, he adjusted her when we first got there. I was there for about 45 more minutes while he talked to me about supplements and adjustments and (gulp) payment plans. When we left, she already looked better than she did when we got there.
She is on 5 different supplements that I can't even tell you what they are. I mean, I could, but you probably wouldn't have any idea either. :) I am so thankful for the relief that it seems to be giving her. Her allergist is going to be furious at me (he told me that chiropractors couldn't help her), but I have to do what works!! Thank you Lord, for providing some help!!!

Einstein's New Friend

2009-03-16T19:31:00.003-05:00

This, ladies and gentlemen, is Thunder. Our new dog. Yes, he is a Webkinz, but Einstein doesn't seem to care.

OK. Let's Back Up

2009-03-13T19:17:00.002-05:00

I started thinking about this ticker thing. So, before our trip in December, we (Lord willing) have two other trips planned. More on those as time progresses. But, the first thing we have to count down to is Daddy coming home. I hesitated to put a ticker up for him because if you know anything about the military, you know that there is no guaranteed date of return. But, we're being optimistic and thinking that it's going to be exactly a 120 day deployment and allowing 3 days for travel...we'll see.

I'm So Excited!!

2009-03-11T10:50:00.003-05:00

You have to notice my new addition to my blog! Our Disney ticker at the top! This December, we are planning a trip to Walt Disney World to take advantage of their "Disney's Armed Forces Salute". We are super excited that my parents get to join us!! Ok, for all you pessimistic people out there, I realize that this is 8 months away and a LOT can change between now and then, but we are planning and we are excited, so THERE! Melanie...hurry up and recover, I need your help! lol

I'm Here, I'm Here.

2009-03-10T11:58:00.002-05:00

Did ya'll think I have dropped off the face of the planet? We got home around 2:30 on Saturday. Our luggage finally arrived about 11:00 on Sunday. Grrr. Oh well...at least I got it back. Emily was very concerned that she would "never see her light saber again"! Yay for the small things in life.

We have started back into the routine of things. Emily has done more school. We have already been to the doctor once (just for a follow up) and the mail has been gone through and taken care of. So, back to the grind....at least until the first of May...then Meme is coming to stay with the girls while I go to the Homeschool Book Fair *slash* Girl's Weekend. I'll let you pick which one I'm most looking forward too. Here is a picture of the girls with Papa and their traditional "One time per visit" coo-coo clock. If he did it every time they asked, that coo-coo would be very tired...the bird, not Papa. :)

Let It Snow!

2009-03-03T07:31:00.004-06:00

We were able to get a portion of that storm that hit the East coast this week. Being so close to the coast, we didn't get too much, but it was enough for Emily! I was glad they got to see snow fall. This morning, there is still snow on the ground. It's too cold to play outside, but it's sure pretty to look at!

Emily had fun with the 2 cm on the deck.

They were amazed when it first started to fall.

Krispy Kreme

2009-02-26T18:29:00.003-06:00

We took the girls to Krispy Kreme tonight to pick out a doughnut. They have the assembly line set up with a glass front so the kids can watch it from beginning to end. They love watching the doughnuts travel from the fryer through the glaze. YUM! Here are the girls enjoying their little taste of heaven.

Monkey Business

2009-02-21T22:11:00.003-06:00

Ok, really it's just Monkey Bread, but that was a less exciting title. We had a good breakfast this morning at home thanks to Emily. She made Monkey Bread. She had a little help, but it was very little. :) Also, I wanted to post some pictures of Savannah's face. She looks amazing. I told a friend of mine one time, in a moment of pity, "Why can't my baby's face be smooth like a baby's face is supposed to be?" Well, Tracy, this morning, my hand cupped her cheek, and it felt like a baby's cheek is supposed to feel. Thanks for the prayers, girl. :)

Shake Shake Shake

Savannah gettin' in on the action.

The Results

It must have been good!!!

My pretty girl!!

I know there are so many people that love me and Savannah that have been praying for her skin. I appreciate it more than you know. A lot of you may ask, "What caused it to clear up?" The answer to that is ____________ I have absolutely no idea. I am praising God for the reprieve HE has given us for now, and hope I can control her for a while.

Wii Nation

2009-02-18T21:15:00.003-06:00

I don't really have anything too important to report. The flight was awesome. Savannah did SO good. It was nice for her to have her own seat. We are having a good time with my parents. It's nice to have someone to cook for you and to not be in your own house where you feel like there is always something to do. My parents bought a Wii for the center, and we are breaking it in. Here is Emily enjoying it a LOT!

She is really good at bowling and golf. She made a Mii (for those stuck on XBox, that's a character that you create that is your personal character) for Brian, but we have to remove him. Every time she sees him at the bowling alley, she cries. :)

They planted a pineapple top. I think they think it's going to grow.

Off We Go......

2009-02-13T06:41:00.002-06:00

Today, Emily, Savannah and I are headed East! We are flying out to North Carolina to stay with my parents for 3 weeks. Pray for us as we fly. Emily is a fantastic flier, and this is Savannah's first time in her own seat, so I think it will go well! I may be looking through rose colored glasses. I'll be updating my blog from their house, so stay tuned for lots of Meme and Papa fun! Please pray that Savannah's skin isn't too bothered by the strange environment. Especially on the plane! Next Stop: Goldsboro, NC!! Well, not literally, but you get the idea.

Valentine's Day Party

2009-02-11T16:00:00.004-06:00

Remember in elementary school when you had to make little valentines to pass out at school? You got to school and everyone had a bag on the back of their chair, and you dropped one in? Well, we decided that our kids needed that, too. So, we had a homeschool/gymnastics Valentine Party. The kids decorated their Valentine's Bags, played Valentine's Bingo, ate heart shaped ham and cheese sandwiches, and beautiful cupcakes. They exchanged Valentines and I'm sure will be on a sugar high for many days to come.

Our beautiful cupcakes made by our in house professional decorator, Sarah Shine.

Axie and Savannah enjoying the "little kids table" and their cupcakes

Savannah taking a big bite (I made her change shirts for the cupcake part)

Emily and her cupcake!

Axie and Savannah decorating their bags.

The big kids decorating.

Our crew: Back row L-R: Mason, Jill, Kara
Front Row: Emma, Emily, Bradey, Savannah (note: Savannah is drinking the punch...although by her expression, it looks a little on the strong side.)

To The Zoo!

2009-02-10T18:23:00.003-06:00

Mondays in February are free at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Kalli invited me and the girls to go up this past Monday. We made the plans several weeks ago, and I lined up a babysitter for Savannah. She can't usually participate in fun outdoor activities because the outdoors make her skin worse. By the time Monday came around, she was well enough to go with us, but I kept her sitter, anyway. Thanks, Bethany!

We left around 8:30 Monday morning, and the girls had a blast. We figured out why it's free, though. Nothing was open. No food stands, gift shop...nothing! The elephants were vacationing in Tulsa. We had a good time, though. We ate lunch at Cheesecake Factory, and headed home. We were SO sleepy on the way home! It was a good day! Here are some pictures of Emily, Jill and Axie.

More Progress

2009-02-08T17:33:00.002-06:00

OK. I know you guys are probably tired of this, but I am amazed at what the LORD has done!!!

February 3rd.

February 8th.

January 30th

February 8th

Psalm 30:2

O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

Progress

2009-02-07T09:43:00.007-06:00

Look at the progress Savannah's skin has made. I don't know if it's the peanuts, chocolate, or vitamins, but she is doing so amazing. I give all glory to God for the improvement she has made. Pray that it keeps getting better and better.

This is on the way to OKC. It was the worst I had seen her face, ever!

These were her eyelids before OKC.

This was the night after one day of being off of peanuts, chocolate, and vitamins. Already, I had noticed improvement.

This was this morning (forgive the bed hair). Her eyelids are almost completely clear, and her face is returning to cream, and not so much red.

PRAISE TO THE GREAT PHYSICIAN.

Our Allergy Appointment

2009-02-04T08:21:00.006-06:00

I can't tell you the amount of Scripture that ran through my head yesterday. Well, I can tell you a couple of them.

Isaiah 55:8

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Matthew 21:22

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

The other Scripture passage is too long to post. It's a lot of the first part of Exodus. Pharaoh's heart was so hardened by the plagues that he wasn't about to let the children of Israel leave. BUT GOD. He hardened Pharaoh's heart so that all the people would know that it was GOD that let them go, not a man.

I can't begin to tell you how the Lord worked yesterday. The only way I know to do it is to give you a play by play of the day. Several of you have asked for that, anyway, so I'll just do it that way.

The day started not so good. I was doing my morning reading when I heard a "Ya-hooooooo" That's my instant messenger popping up. It was Sarah...."Call me when you get up." Oh no. I got my phone, and she had sent a text saying that Bradey was very sick, and she couldn't go with me. I'll be honest...I panicked. I cried....hard. I argued with God. I told Him that I didn't understand why He was asking me to take on so much by myself. I already didn't have my husband, I didn't understand why I couldn't catch a break! (Some of you may be wondering what the big deal was. Well, Oklahoma City is over 2 hours away. It's 2 hours of flat nothingness. It is a hard drive...especially when you're tired, and alone. Also, Savannah's appointment was right in the middle of naptime, and I was counting on Sarah to entertain her while I talked to the dr.) Then, as I was straitening my hair, the thought came into my head, "My ways are not your ways." OK, Lord, point taken...it's going to be ok.

So, I did the little things that I needed to do that were stressing me out because I waited until last minute, and left with plenty of time to spare. I took Emily to Tracy's house. She was SO excited...Emily, not necessarily Tracy. ha ha I was SO thankful to Tracy! I don't think I could have done it if I had had Emily, too.

Thanks to Sarah, I had a DVD player in the car, and Savannah watched Little Einsteins all the way up there. She was very happy. I found the place very easily and went to go eat some lunch, then back for the appointment.

The nurses were SO nice. They took her weight, height (she is in the 23rd percentile for height! Emily is always below the growth chart) and led us to the room. Dr. Bozalis and a medical student came in and made friends with Savannah for a few minutes and then took us to his office to get all the details. He asked me a LOT of questions.

He also told me this, "When I look at her, it's like looking at my son 40 years ago." Most of you don't know, but that is an absolute direct answer to prayer. My Bible Study ladies were praying that this Dr would have a compassion for Savannah, and he did...he really did.

OK, so he told me after asking a thousand questions that he wanted to do both skin prick testing and blood tests. He told me they would be excruciating for her, but I told him that her every day life was excruciating. So back to the room we went. I quickly texted Tracy and Sarah and said, "About to do skin testing...pray!"

The nurse came in carrying 4 huge trays of skin pricker thingies. She put down a piece of paper that had all these food circled on them. They were the foods that I told the dr she ate. I was looking at it, and saw all these other foods that I wanted her tested for. I asked the nurse if she would test those, too. And she said Yes! Again, another direct answer to prayer. I didn't want her tested for the 5 biggest food problems. I wanted her tested for specific foods. So, she was pricked 38 times. Savannah was amazing. After every prick, she would look at me and say, "But, Mommy!" She shed about 4 tears when the lady had to leave and go get beef and chicken. She thought she was done, and when the nurse walked back in, she wasn't happy. She fells asleep for about 5 minutes, and then was happy again.

Then came the blood tests. She inherited her Papa and Mommy's veins and they tried twice and couldn't get anything. I was holding her down, and she was screaming her head off. It's the first time she's ever had to get blood drawn. They couldn't get a vein, so her Dr. said we'd wait on that for a couple months. He asked if it was inconvenient for me to have to come back up there, and I told him I would carry her there if I had to. :)

They went in to read the scratch tests. The only thing she showed any allergy to at all (including cats and dogs!) was grass, trees, and peanuts. Peanuts? Really? Dr. Bozalis then said, "I have never seen a child not scream with the skin test...she's amazing." I told him, "You have no idea how many people are praying for me right now."

This is kinda what the skin test thing looked like.

So, here's our game plan. He told me to remove all peanut products from the home. He told me to keep chocolate away from her. He also wants me to stop all her vitamin supplements. He said this isn't for forever. Just 10 days. We'll see if it helps. He called this morning and said her mucous test showed no allergies in her nose. So that's good. Hopefully she won't have the respiratory problems that Emily has. He said to call him in 10 days and tell him how she was looking, and to come back in April for her blood tests.

I got out of the office right as the rest of Oklahoma City got out of work. I made my way over to the Cheesecake Factory to take home a small slice of heaven. We were stuck in rush hour traffic for quite some time. Savannah fell asleep within 10 minutes of being in the car. I gave her a dose of her "itchy medicine" and her face looked better within the hour. AND! This is the best part. She slept through the night! I slept for 9 1/2 hours STRAIT last night!!! She has been waking up itching almost every hour for the last week. Praise the Lord!!

Thank you all so much for praying. Here are some pictures of her big day.

Still happy and waiting in the waiting room.

This is all what her arms looked like. The red on the top left is the histamine that they put into her. That one was just to show that her body would react to the tests. The elbow and wrist is just her eczema. You can't see the peanut reaction on this picture.

Happily eating chips and watching Einstein in the way home.

Prayers Needed

2009-02-02T17:41:00.003-06:00

Please pray for me tomorrow as I take Savannah to Oklahoma City to the Allergy specialist. They will do testing, and I'm not sure if they'll use skin or blood testing. Either one, pray for Savannah to tolerate it. Pray that I will remember to ask all my questions, and that the Dr will feel a compassion for Savannah. Above all, pray that we get some answers. Her appointment is at 1:30. I know a lot of prayer warriors read this blog. I appreciate all of you. I will hopefully have good news tomorrow night!!

Psalm 61:2

2009-01-30T16:49:00.003-06:00

The title of this post is the same verse that is under the title of my blog. I lived this verse last Saturday. I hesitate to write this post, because I don't want people to think I am "Woe is Me" because I'm not. But, I know there are mother's out there that have these same feelings, thoughts, and concerns, so I'm hoping to be an encouragement to them.

Are you a Mother? If your child is hurting, what would you do to help them? I know there are occasions that you tell them to "walk it off" (or, my favorite, "suck it up, princess"), but I mean if they are really hurting. I guess the better question is, What wouldn't you do to help them?? Would you buy special foods for the child that can't eat what "normal" children eat? Would you pay $50 for a 4 oz tub of lotion...oh wait, that's me. Would you drive 115 miles to see a Dr that may or may not give you answers? Oh wait, that's me again. My point here is, that there is not a mother out there that wouldn't do anything to help her child to stop suffering.

I don't research eczema online much. One reason is because there isn't much new that I can learn (if one more website tells me to "moisturize moisturize moisturize" I'll scream!!!) But, if I go several months between research sprees, I occasionally find something new. So, last Saturday, I had a few minutes (that turned into hours) and I thought, you know? I haven't looked into eczema lately....let's see what I can find. Well, I found stuff, and I lost it. Absolutely lost it. I honestly don't think I've ever cried so hard. This is the main reason I don't research eczema very often. I get upset and I have serious panic attacks. And that's exactly what happened.

It started when the first thing I read was "Babies that are breast fed don't have eczema as badly as those who weren't." Ok, that was hard to accept. I couldn't nurse Savannah, I tried, I couldn't. So, to think that I made this worse? Anyway, The real kicker came when I read that from scratching her eyelids so much, she can damage her cornea and go blind. I was in so much pain that I sobbed....and sobbed. It was that kind of cry that you have to tell yourself to breathe before you pass out. (If you're a mother, I'm sure you've cried those tears a couple times.) So, I did the only thing I knew to do at 11:06 at night. I was lead to the Rock that is higher than I. Because let me tell you, my heart was overwhelmed.

I grabbed my Bible, opened it up to Psalms and it "happened" to fall open to Psalm 55. I read it.....calmed down. Got upset again, and then decide to pray the chapter out loud. Let me share the verses that I already had underlined that God gave to me that night. If you want to read the full chapter, read it in your Bible. These are the cut down verses that helped me. This page in my Bible is now all crinkly with my tears, they are so powerful to those that suffer.

2 I mourn in my complaint
4 My heart is sore pained within me:
5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
19 God shall hear

22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 I will trust in thee.

I have never been calmed by Scripture the way I was calmed that night. By the time I got done, I really believed that God knows best, He loves her more than I do, and He has a plan. I don't know what that plan is, and I sincerely hope it doesn't include Savannah going blind. But, HE knows, and HE knows BEST!

So, as a Mother, you think you love your children more than life itself, and you do, I'm sure. But, you know what? There is an Abba that loves your children far more than you could ever try. I love the term 'Abba'. It is used in the Bible to mean Father, when addressing God the Father in a close, personal way. When I think of it, I imagine myself as a little girl curling up in my daddy's lap and getting the comfort that only he can give. Savannah has an Abba that loves her so much that He died for her, just so she can live with Him for eternity.

You know what? The Lord did guide me to some places that told me new things to try, and you know what? Her skin looks amazing right now. Well, except her eyelids. That's my biggest challenge. You can't put lotion on eyelids. :) Here are some pictures so you can know better how to pray for my baby girl.

Look at the silly look on her face! She is still so sweet spirited even with the misery she has to be in.

This is my "Look how amazing she looks!" picture. This is a result of the things I found that night. Trust me.....it's looks good compared to what it looked like last week.

Ice Storm 2009

2009-01-27T18:54:00.003-06:00

I was just telling someone the other day that I thought it had been an unusually warm winter. It was 85 degrees last week. Well, yesterday and today have been terrible. It has sleeted (is that a word?) and snowed on and off all day.

We have a fairly sloped drive way. Sarah and I came up with the grand idea of letting the kids slide down the icy driveway. It was lot of fun.....until......we ended up in the Emergency Room. In one brave slide down the hill....standing....on a snowboard, Emily and her brave knight in shining armour, Mason...well....bit the concrete. Except Emily bit more than the concrete....she bit her lip.....clean through her lip. We vacillated back and forth for about an hour with various nurses and even a Dr on call, and decided to take her to the hospital. We thought it was on the brink of needing stitches, but turns out it really needed them, so I'm glad we decided to take her. When I say we, I mean Sarah and I. I took my "lived in Alaska for YEARS" driving friend with me. Anyway, Emily needed 6 stitches total. Three on the outside and three on the inside. She was SO brave. I didn't take my camera to the ER with me. grr...one of these days, I'm going to be better about that. Here are some pictures of the fun times, and the not so fun results.

So Proud!!

2009-01-27T10:44:00.002-06:00

I got an e-mail from Brian today, and he told me a story about his day. He would probably be mortified if he knew I was telling this, but I'm too proud to keep my silence. :) Let me explain his job a little first. He is on escort duty. It has a professional name, but that's what we call it. The Air Force escorts nationals from the country to come on to the base to do contracting work. Since Brian is a higher rank than the other escorts that he's working with, he gets to drive the truck. From what I gather, this means, he drops them off at various locations, and drives around most of the day to see if they need anything. OK, that's his job. Here's his e-mail.

A cool thing happened at work today. We had a visit from the CENTAF Head Chaplain. He came over to speak with our flight. I was out working and I happened to pull up to the building because I was going to get a girl a water. Anyways I decided to stay and listen to the chaplain because it's pretty rude to walk out on a full bird. He gave us a little speech, told us a story and handed out calling cards to everyone that was there. He then begins to say that no good commander would leave an area without coining someone. So he asks who the top performers were. The MSgt that is in charge didn't say anything but one of the airmen yelled out "SSgt Moix". So I went forward, took the coin, smartly saluted, and took my place back in the crowd. I was not at all expecting that. It really made me feel good about what I have been doing to keep everyone happy. I don't do it for myself I just want to make sure everyone is OK.

Yay Brian! I'm so proud of him for doing his job so well. For those of you who aren't military, getting "coined" is a special thing. Brian just got a coin from his commander at the Christmas party...although it was in exchange for a case of beer that everyone knew he had NO use for (praise the Lord for his testimony). He also has a coin from the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. But that one was given to him by a friend that knew the Chief of Staff's security detail. This coin was truly special in that it was given to him for the good job that is recognized by his co-workers. Continue to pray for him!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-01-22T21:24:00.004-06:00

Today was my birthday. Sigh. My 30th birthday. Yep, the big Three-Oh...OH! Is it possible? I stopped at 22. I really feel like a 22 year old sometimes. Then, other times, I feel like a 50 year old. ha ha I was NOT looking forward to today. Birthdays were a huge deal growing up, and that has been adapted into my immediate family. Without Brian here, I wasn't sure how the day would pan out.

It started last night when I got my first present. An Almond Scandinavian cake of my very own. Bonnie, from my church, makes the best cake, and she made me one for my birthday. (pictures below)

This morning, before 9 am, Sarah and Shannon showed up on my doorstep with the most beautiful flowers (again, pictures below) and balloons and very sweet children wishing me a happy birthday. When I got home, a very pretty birthday cake, made by my girls waited for me. How they got that cake made, cooled, iced and decorated in 1 hour and 15 minutes is beyond me. :) I got very nice presents and cards. Then, I got to go tanning (my little mini-message).

Tonight, I got to go out to dinner with all my girls!! Flor, Kalli, Elaine, Shannon and Tracy were waiting at the restaurant when Sarah and I showed up. It was a nice surprise, and I loved being there with my closest girl friends. Even the black cake and wise cracking cards made me smile. :) When I got home tonight, Brian was finally able to get through the phones and call me to wish me happy birthday.

All day long, I was told happy birthday by people on Facebook, and through e-mail. Carrie and Melanie called, and both made me smile. The day was so perfect. I am SO thankful for friends that wouldn't let me mope and eat ice cream all day. I love each and every one of you very, very much.

Now, enjoy the pictures.

Tracy gave me the one on the left. It is : With Affection: I love our friendship.

Sarah gave me the one on the right. It is: Sisters by Heart.