Today at a Glance

Today was Pajama Day for us!  :)

It was Madi Grace's idea and I thought it would be fun for them so I let them wear their pajamas all day long!  :)

Here they are working on school.

(we are using Learning Adventures and Life Pacs)

((thank goodness we have a good library))

Today, while they were doing school, Hannah Joy was playing the Kinect.  She was playing kinectimals.  (it's a sweet animal game)  She loves playing that or Adventures or the Dance game!

After I finished school with the girls, we did our daily "Hannah school."  Hannah Joy enjoys this and is learning so much.

One of my sisters, KJ, made me great flash cards and laminated them and we have been using those.  So, today we got them out and we again worked on our color names and our shapes.  She did a super job.  Then, I decided to go through all the sounds and re-evaluate where she is in her speech.  Last year when she was evaluated she knew less than half of her sounds.  She has apraxia.  Well, I was OVERJOYED to find today that she has all of her sounds except we are struggling with the sounds of L, X & Z.

She did a great job in school and afterwards she got fruit snacks!  You can see she was quite happy about that!  I give her a treat every day after "Hannah School" when she truly tries and does her best.

All the girls snugged up on the couch.

Look at Hannah and her tongue sticking out!

Silly girl!  She was supposed to be smiling at the camera!  LoL!

The, the girls got up to the table to be creative for a while.  I got the scissors and the rest of the foam paper with marked cut outs on them out for Hannah Joy.  My sister, KJ, created a really cool birthday gift for her last year and it had all kinds of awesome stuff in it.  This was part of it.  (still kept in her box after each use)  She doesn't get the concept of cutting on the lines yet but she was wanting to cut them.  Since it's been almost a year since she got them, I let her have at them.  She cut for over 2 hours and cried when it was time to put the scissors away.  Notice, Hannah didn't wear her pj's today - instead, she wore her Dora the Explorer dress up shirt and didn't put the skirt on!  hee hee...

Madi Grace got the idea somewhere to put up little post it notes in a "collage style" on the wall and asked if I had any.  I did and she was designing on them.  Sarah Faith decided to do the same.  They are allowed to stick them up on the inside of their closet door.  They had a fun time drawing and creating on them to create their collage.

Here is Sarah Faith working on hers.  I don't know how that string of hair in her face wasn't driving her batty!  She also wrote me a sweet one that said she loved me.

It was a wonderful day.. full of fun and giggles!

I am SOOOOOO blessed!

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The girls love to dress Hannah Joy up!

Madi Grace and Sarah Faith have such a good time dressing Hannah Joy up and she enjoys every moment of it.

She loves having her picture taken and feeling pretty.

Madi & Sarah dressed her up in her little yellow ballerina dress.

They took great joy in fixing her hair with a little yellow pony band and a yellow headband for extra girly-ness.

She was trying to show the back of her hair here - I thought it came out so darling.  She's our little princess!

Lately she likes to have her hands up in all of her pictures.

I love the soft touch and how sweet this one turned out.

Sarah Faith dressed her up in this little leopard dress.

She got the perfect picture of her on her phone but I can't figure out how to get it to my computer.  This one is cute though.

She got M&Ms for letting me grab these two pics because she was ready to go play after Sarah Faith had taken her pictures.

Isn't she growing up so fast?  Time flies.

I am so blessed to have such precious children!

Smiles,
 

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What I've been working on for Madi Grace :)

I decided recently to make each of my girls a large crocheted blanket.  I crocheted them each baby blankets when I was pregnant with them that are rather large but won't fit them forever.

So, I decided this time to make them a HUGE one!

This first one I am working on is for Madi Grace.

It is 7 or 7 1/2 ft. long - yes, huge.  It will be about 6 ft wide when I'm done.  That will fit a big, big bed when she is grown and in the mean time she can completely wrap up and snuggle in it and use it on her twin bed as added warmth this winter or by itself in the summer since they breathe so well.  I'm using a homespun yarn called Quartz.  I think it's turning out so nice!

Madi Grace keeps saying she can't wait for it to be finished.

Here I am all laid back and comfy working on it and Miss Hannah Joy loves to be the one to give me more yarn at a time.  She will keep saying, "More?"  She'll pull off more yarn til I tell her to wait then she waits patiently til she sees it running out.  Then she'll say again excitedly, "More?!"  :)  It's been sweet how much she loves doing this.  She'll stop playing anything when she sees me go to work on the big blanket.  I've got to ask Hope if she would like one.  I'm not sure she will want one.  Sarah Faith is next.  She already "called it" because she and Madi Grace are only 21 months apart and when one gets something the other wants it too if it's something they like!

Since this picture I have done a lot more on it and it's getting so nice!  By the time I am finished I will have used at least 10 spools of that homespun yarn!  WOW!  Maybe one day I will get around to making Kenny and I one to put on our bed.  I'd like that but you know me - my babies are first, ALWAYS!

What have you been up to creating lately?

Share with me!  :)  I love getting ideas :)

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Fun with a Friend!

Last night I had a wonderful time!

I got to go to dinner with my friend, Casey.  We went to eat and we talked forever!  It was so much fun to get out and just spend some time with a friend.  I miss my friends back home and I'm thankful to know a friend here.  We've been getting our children together and having a great time visiting but last night was fun too because it was just us two moms chatting.  She and her children are coming over today to play with the girls and we're all very excited about that!  The girls have a great time with her children.  She has a son and a daughter.  The son is in between the girls ages and the little girl is Hannah's age and they play so well together!  Hannah has been saying things all day about Ava.  She has said, "Ava walks like me.  Ava jumps and me.  Ava is coming!!!"  Just different little comments all day.  She loves Ava.  She's old enough now she enjoys having a little friend and I love watching them.  They play so well together and are adorable.  We are blessed to have friends here now!

Praise God for this huge blessing!

Smiles,
 

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How am I feeling about myself?

As you have read I have been feeling like the ugly duckling with the extra weight I have on.

Here's a picture Madi took the night my hubby took one and I posted it.  I wouldn't use this one but I will put it here now.

I knew it showed my fat arms really bad and felt my face looks fat here.  




***EDITED TO ADD***



Here is one of the pictures that SHOWS MY WEIGHT.
I was kneeled down so she could take the picture from above where I would look more slender.  But here's the real deal!
I would never have dreamed of posting it!
Even my hair looks like it's flying everywhere in this one!
But I want to be TOTALLY TRANSPARENT!
SO here it is:

Now you can see the fat even more than if I had been standing up.
However, the below is exactly how I'm feeling!
So be prepared that I will be just posting regular pictures of me now.... not just ones that I have worked on to make myself look thinner or to hide the way I look.  This is me.  It's reality.


However, God has been working on my heart and I have been encouraged by those who care about me.

I am truly beginning to see myself in a different way.

I wouldn't trade the inside of me to get a better outside of me.

My heart is a lot more beautiful than my looks--- but that's how it should be.  God sees the inside and I am daily feeding the inside with His word and focusing on the fact that as much as I love my children, He loves me even more.  (He loves them even more if you think of it because He loves in a bigger, deeper way than we even understand!)  His love isn't based on my ever-changing weight or my looks.  When I look deeper at the picture I can see more than skin deep.  I can see eyes that are bright and usually happy.  I can see arms that hold my children and show them love.  I see a smile that can make someone else smile back.  I see a mouth that can speak the word of God.  I see ears that can listen to a friend that needs me.  I am seeing things very differently.  My weight doesn't affect all of those things.  I think if my sisters weren't so darn skinny I wouldn't even notice the fat anymore.  (thanks sisters, ha ha!) 

I'm kidding about the sister part and I'm really beginning not to notice the fat part anymore.  My God thinks I am beautiful because He created me.  My husband thinks I am beautiful because I am his wife and he loves me much deeper than skin deep.  My children think I am beautiful because they love me and don't even notice weight.  So, I am beginning to love me and not notice the weight as much either.  I do still notice but each day it's getting better and I am focusing on what's more, what's deeper, what's more lovely than the size tag in my clothes!  Boy am I realizing how shallow I've been!

Thank you Tamara and Melissa for helping me to see these things so much more.  Thank you Renee for the scripture I hold onto about beauty!  May we ALL be BEAUTIFUL in the eyes of GOD!

Love,
 

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We keep seeing God's blessings!

In so many ways we keep seeing God's blessings in our life.

We're thankful my hubby has a job in the economy like it is.

Our children are healthy as are we.

It's below freezing here but we're managing not to run up the gas bill.  God has been pulling me deeper and deeper into His word.

We are continuing to have our Bible during school and led by Daddy at night which has been awesome!

We're just so blessed and so thankful!

How are you being blessed right now?

Smiles,
 

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Peace that surpasses Understanding - The Blessing.

We are to have peace that surpasses understanding.

It is such a blessing because we can have peace just in trusting Jesus for all our needs, our futures, and everything in the present.

We can cast our cares on Him and not look back.

Is He already aware of our cares? YES!

However, through prayer, we are to give those concerns or worries over to Him.  He is in charge of the world that He created so He can definitely take on our burdens and we can take on His peace that He has given to us that is such a huge blessing!

I hope that every day of my life I sing His praises and cast my cares upon Him who is more than capable instead of carrying them in worry in my hands and on my mind because I can do nothing to change them.  I hope that when the time comes that I DO try to take things in my own hands that God will gently remind me where they belong.

May God bless you and your family and me and mine as we daily start afresh and cast our worries upon Him.

As my friend, Melissa, said - His yoke is much easier to carry.

That's Biblical - I've read it myself.

Praises to God!

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Be Transformed.

Today at church, our sermon was about being transformed.

Being transformed as we are first saved, then growing, then down the line having Christ at heart at most all times... being Christ centered.  We want our hearts and our bodies and minds to be reformed, transformed to be more Christ like.

Something I've been realizing is that I work for the package so hard.  I try to do and say and live all the things that would glorify God but I often do not ask God to help me in doing this.  I often do not invite Him to help me do this.  I feel I should do it because I am a Christian.  I should do it - but I have to remember to invite God to be part of it and tho I ask Him to lead me... so often I focus on the ways of the Lord instead of the Lord.  Clear as mud?

I guess I am just realizing that I can't do it all on my own, I need to ask the Saviour to do it through me and help me.

With love,
 

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Why do I not feel pretty?

Melissa, my friend, commented to me about why I do not feel pretty.  So, I'm thinking outloud here and maybe I will get some feedback that helps as well.

Hmm..  well, it starts that I was a size double zero and weighed 97 lbs during my first pregnancy.  I lost enough of the weight that the baby, Hope, was born Feb 1st and by Easter I was wearing a size Small tee shirt.  I have pictures is why I know - it was a band tee shirt.  One I had worn before pregnancy and I had on some shorts.

My first husband (yes, I'm divorced - my  husband chose another woman while we were married and even as I begged he filed for divorce) used to tell me I was "obese" when I weighed 136 lbs and was a size 5 or 7 depending on fluctuation.  So, I felt obese.  He was young and I do not blame him for any of this.  I'm just making observations of why I might feel this way.  

Of course his choosing another woman who was running 3 miles a day and had a very small waistline didn't help.  (yes, he brought her to my house not telling me it was her after we had seperated, later I figured it out and a family  member slipped to confirm.)  OK, again, not blaming him - just another hit to my feelings on my looks.

I grew up feeling I was very beautiful because I was so tiny.  Everyone in my family on Mom's side is thin.  My sisters are all skinny.  I was the skinniest one and now I weigh more than each of them does by measure.

In myself, I guess I am realizing that I may base my "pretty" or "not pretty" on my weight.  I do not judge others on their weight tho.  That is weird.  I need to lose weight right now and so at this point I disgust myself.  I don't like to look in a mirror and I hate trying on clothes.  I feel angry and disappointed in myself.  I feel like a failure and I feel like the ugly duckling.

My husband thinks I am "gorgeous, beautiful."

I just don't believe that and feel he wants to make me feel good.

Boy, maybe I shouldn't even be writing this post.

It's not "encouraging" and it's showing a very deep inner part of me I like to keep very hidden.

I know beauty is skin deep.  I know it's not what's on the outside that counts.  I know all those things.  But for me, towards myself - IT MATTERS.

I guess what I need to do to feel "pretty" again is just lose the weight.

I'm sure this is more than anyone wanted to read.

This is the most transparent it gets.

Tears are surging down my face now.

Anyone else ever felt this way?

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Just Me.

Just Me.  Tonight.

I wanted a new picture so my hubby grabbed one of me sitting at my laptop tonight.  No make up or anything.  Just Me.

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Snow in Texas??? Yes Sir Ree!!

The funny thing is that the day before the snow, my hubby had been telling me about how people raise money for the Olympics by jumping into the below freezing ocean at different places.  He went in first with his feet, this his knees.  It was sooooooo cold!  He kept saying how good it felt when he got out within minutes or less it felt like a deep tissue massage.  Yes, he talked me into it - can you believe That?!?!  So my first time I went in to my knees.  (had to top him by going deeper first, lol)  I got out and sure enough the tingles stopped and my muscles relaxed and it was awesome!  So next time around I jumped into the pool all the way.  (yes had to top him again!  LOL)  Then he did.  It was fun and it did relax our muscles.

....now the next day...  Snow?!?!?  Whaaat?

Yes, Seriously.  In Texas!

So the girls had some major fun!

I let the two oldest go out just to feel the snow before Dad got home just so they could feel the snow because I was sure it would stop at any moment.

LoL at the fountain going in the pool with the snow all around!

Three excited little girls about the SNOW!

Cuties in the snow!!!  I was waiting for Daddy to get home before we bundled up Hannah to take her out there and to let the kids play in it.  Tho, they did throw a few tiny snow balls at each other.

..then Daddy got home and I got Hannah bundled up while the other two were busy getting all bundled up to go out and play in it!

Poor baby was running in the house the night before and had busted her sweet lips.  I love her little tobogan!

Here Sarah Faith is sporting her denim coat MiMi made for her which we adore and her little elf hat!  hee hee!

Doesn't Mae Mae look so adorable?!?!!!

.......outside we go!........

Needless to say, the snow was a lot of fun and today it is melting!

We enjoyed it while it lasted!

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Hannah Joy with her New Friend, Ava :)

Hannah Joy and the girls have some new friends and so do I!

We've had fun getting together with them.

Here's a pic of Hannah with her new friend, Ava.  :)

They are having fun with the little play room I set up for them in the "big room" downstairs.  It was so cute.  They play so well!

....then....  Hannah Joy dressing up in another Dora outfit from GiGi and PaPa from Christmas!!  :)

She is having a great time!

She got a Dora Trunk full of Dora dress up clothes and she loves it!

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