Mickey's Girls

Who Knew????

2006-10-04T21:59:00.000-05:00

Who knew staying home to be mommy would allow for soooo much less time on the computer? I love it!

With that said...my blogging and Thursday Thirteens are taking a back row seat and may or may not return in the future...

If we have anything big to report, I'm sure you'll hear about it via email or phone but we'll also post it here so you check back every so often to see the news.
As of now...there's not much to report.

So - adios!

PS. If you hate the fact that you can't just read about our lives on a random basis, let me know...maybe I can do something about that - but for now, this blog thing is on hold! :)

Thursday Thirteen

2006-09-21T22:05:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things that I LOVE

Since our family is traveling this week, looking to see where we're going to live and what we're going to do and life seems to be just one big unknown, I thought I'd list the things I love about where we are, where we've been and what's going on.
(Sorry this is so late - computer time is a premium around here!)
1. I love the cooler weather here in Georgia
2. I love the cooler weather there in Alabama
3. I love the cooler weather there in Tennessee
4. I love Atlanta
5. I think I'd love Auburn from what I've seen and what I've heard
6. I love being near family
7. I love that my girls love their mimi & papa
8. I love that I found some jeans to fit
9. I love that my dad is getting my competitive spirit flowing in a competition with him to lose weight
10. I love that I'm going to win! (I hope!)
11. I love that my baby girl is completely and 100% in love with me and you can see it in her eyes every time she looks at me
12. I love that my older baby girl is learning and growing and discovering the boundaries we've set and that she still looks at us with complete and total love in her eyes
13. I love my Jesus, my husband, my sweet girls and my precious family

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - I'm Excited!

2006-09-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things that I'm VERY EXCITED about from this past week & for this upcoming week....

1. My last day of work was this past Tuesday! I am now officially a stay at home mommy to my two precious little girls!

2. I had my first stampin' night and it was a blast! It was the first time I did all the preparation and all of that...so yeah me! and YEAH ANNA for hostessing!

3. We're "going home" on Friday for a week & a half! We get to see all our family as we'll be in Alabama, Tennessee & Georgia!

4. Saturday, I get to see my niece, Katelyn, play soccer. She's 3 - how cute is that going to be?

5. Sunday, we're taking all the girls to see Disney's Princesses on Ice!

6. Sometime next week, we're going to visit Auburn, AL to help make the decision on whether to move there or not.

7. My husband gets to go to the Auburn/LSU game on Saturday and he's so happy about that he'd pee in his pants if he were any more excited!

8. I get to chill out at Mimi & Papa's (my parents) house and let them handle the two little people who wear me out!

9. Hopefully, we'll have time to get together with old friends...yes, Amy...yes, Karen...yes, Betsy....that includes you (I'll call or email as soon as I know when we're going to be in Georgia)

10. We get to go see Granny Clark (Michael's grandmother) and she gets to meet Sarah Beth for the first time!

11. We get to go see Ma-ma & Big Dad (my grandparents) and they get to meet Sarah Beth for the first time!

12. My sister-in-law, Amber, is bringing my new niece, Kinsey, down to meet her best friend's, Sam's, new baby girl and that means that I get to meet Kinsey for the first time! I'm beyond thrilled about this one - I may pee my pants if I were any more excited!

13. Did I mention that I'm now officially a stay at home mommy to my two precious little gifts? *grin* I'm overwhelmed by God's goodness to allow me to do this! I am without words to express my joy! :)

Three Years Ago...

2006-09-04T19:39:00.000-05:00

It's 7:35pm as I start this post and I'm thinking about what I want to say so I'll just start with what I was doing exactly 3 years ago at this moment. I was grabbing my bags and walking out the door. I had an 8:00pm appointment with the labor and delivery room for an induction as I was a week past my due date. I'll skip the details of the next 12 hours of horrific scariness and the following 10 days in the NICU of heartache and waiting...and waiting...and waiting...to say that on September 5th, 2003, I was gifted with the most amazing little girl. Emma Grace weighed in at 7lbs 6.5oz and 20inches long at 8:05a.m. via emergency c-section. I had never laid eyes on a more beautiful child! What a gift and glimpse of God's love for us!

So, now, three years later...Emma Grace is still my precious gift that I daily thank God for entrusting to me. I can't begin to explain how much I love this little girl - for those of you who are parents, you understand. I wake up every morning to her smiles and giggles and I get teary eyed when I realize just how fast she is growing up. I try to treasure every moment and enjoy each day! She's the sweetest, most kind and tender hearted little girl who truly loves with her whole heart, mind and body.

Happy Birthday to my precious treasure!!!!

Note: I did start this at 7:35 on Sept. 4th and finished it at 11:06 and lots and lots of interruptions later....Heehee...kids are great!

Thursday Thirteen

2006-08-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things about My Childhood

And each one is a fond memory!

1. We almost moved to the Philipines but instead we moved to VA from GA when I was 5. I grew up in Altavista, VA at a christian conference center that my dad started back up after it had sat empty for a few years...therefore, I was the "camp director's kid."

2. My dad was also a pastor...therefore, I was the "pastor's kid"...except he traveled doing conferences rather than being the pastor of a specific church.

3. My mom worked alongside my dad at the camp - cooking, cleaning, bookkeeping, etc... - but was home with me and my brother too! (we lived at the camp so that was convenient!)

4. The camp had a "ranch side" where we had as many as 40 horses at a time. I had my own personal horse, Ghalii El Monieta. She was an Egyptian Arabian and absolutely beautiful! We bred her and had Ghailaa El Monieta who followed me around like a puppy dog! I miss them! I taught horseback riding lessons and we did trailrides for the campers and the general public.

5. Our house was built in the early 1900's and had a tin roof, didn't have closets to speak of, only had a/c and heat on the first floor and we shared one bathroom that didn't have a shower but it did have a beautiful pawfoot bathtub. Doesn't sound too bad til you consider that we always seemed to have someone living with us!

6. Our "chores" weren't split along typical gender lines - my brother and I both did all of the following: vacuuming, sweeping, dishes, mowing and weedeating the yard, cleaning stalls, dusting, taking out the trash, and whatever else needed to be done.

7. I went to school 30 minutes from home and rode the bus so we were out the door really really early and then when we got home, we typically walked the almost mile long driveway back home!

8. My dad made some paddles that were about 18 inches long and about 1/4 inch thick to give away as part of a sermon illustration (I think) and the leftovers are what we got disciplined with. Many a paddle was broken on mine & my brother's backside! Mom still has one hanging in their house! (and no, it wasn't child abuse!)

9. I had always been taller and "larger" than everyone else but I grew about 6 inches one summer between 6th & 7th grade...I'm 5'10" now and I don't think I've grown any since that summer. It took a long time for me to be comfortable in my own skin and for the guys to catch up with me! I got a whole new wardrobe that year though!

10. I played volleyball and basketball in middle school and high school. In 7th grade, one of the basketball referees tried to help me out because I was so clumsy and when I was graduating high school, he happened to referee my last game which happened to be the Championship game which we won and I got MVP honors. He didn't fail to remind me of that game in 7th grade when I couldn't hold on to the ball! Oh - my dad coached my team 10th-12th grades!

11. My first kiss...well, okay...to protect the not-so-innocent...I won't tell you about this one. *grin* You just never know who's gonna read this!

12. My parents named me "mandy" because they thought it was somewhat original but I was surrounded my "mandy's" my entire life...one of my closest friend's name was "mandi"and she lived with us for a summer and we worked together too, I played volleyball and basketball with a "mandy" and we looked somewhat similar on the court and we worked together for several years, and my best friend's sister's name was "mandi" - Mandy's everywhere!

13. And my favorite thing about my childhood (and this remains to this day) is that my mom and dad loved us enough to discipline us, teach us right from wrong, tend to our wounds both physically and emotionally, celebrate our successes and teach us who our Heavenly Father is so that we could come to know Him personally.

Today, Tomorrow...and so on...

2006-08-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

There's nothing really new to update you on but I thought I'd post anyway so you don't think that the only thing I do is those Thursday Thirteens.
Michael is in Nashville this week - he's looking at the location we'd like to do a Quizno's should we decide to go that route and he's also hoping to interview for a job he is interested in and he's enjoying some family time with his sister and her family. That's good!
The girls and I are carrying on as usual at home. Today, it finally rained! Wooohooo!!! I thought for a very brief second about running naked through my yard in the rain as I was so ecstatic that there was moisture coming from the skies. It was less than a milisecond of thought. *grin*
Then after nap time, I went in to get Sarah Beth and she was standing in her crib shaking the side and just as happy as she could be! I don't know how to explain to you how I feel about that - it's very bittersweet. I'm thrilled that she's maturing and growing normally but I'm so sad that she's not my tiny little baby anymore! Six months is entirely too short a time for that stage! She also had her 6 month dr's visit today. She's quite healthy at 17.8 lbs and 27 inches long. To put that in perspective for you, Emma Grace was 13.13 lbs and 25.75 inches long at 6 months. This chunky baby thing is new for me and I love it!
Emma Grace continues to be the best big sister ever. She's very aware of Sarah Beth and what she's doing and is constantly on the lookout for toys that Sarah Beth can't have. She amazes me!
Oh - last night on the way home from church...well, let me back up! On the way to church, we talked about how we are wonderfully made by God as that was their lesson a couple of months ago and it has stuck with Emma Grace so much that she still talks about it. So I said that I wanted her to pay good attention so that she could tell me what she learned tonight. So, now, on the way home last night, I had forgotten to ask her about it until she said "Mommy! I can do all things through Christ and I am strong like Jesus" I said "honey, that's awesome! is that way you learned tonight?" To which she replied "I can do all things through Christ. See how strong I am I am stronger than Jesus but he makes me that way." I love her!
Emma Grace turns 3 next week. I'm completely amazed at how fast these 3 years have gone. I'm not sure what we're doing for her birthday yet but whatever it is, it will be totally fun and completely all about Emma Grace! She is so special to me and I want to make sure she is aware of that not only at her birthday but all the time.
Alrighty, that's all. I have nothing else to tell you about...
Have a beautiful day!

Thursday Thirteen

2006-08-24T10:15:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things about the Birthday Girl (Karen!)

1. Daughter of the King
2. Excellent Wife
3. Fabulous Mommy
4. Loyal & Honest Friend
5. Cuteness (for sure!)
6. Witty & Funny
7. Kind & Caring
8. Passionate Believer
9. Loving
10. Fervant Prayer Warrior
11. Joyful Perservere-er (is that a word?)
12. Wonderful Person
13. I miss her!
Happy Happy Happy Birthday My Friend!
Go check out her Thursday Thirteen and wish her a wonderful birthday!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen

2006-08-17T00:05:00.000-05:00

Thirteen of My Favorite Pics- in no particular order- definitely not all-inclusive

1. Emma Grace - 10/04

2. Emma Grace - 11/05

3. Sarah Beth - several hours old - 2/06

4. Emma Grace - 7/05

5. Emma Grace & Mommy - 1/06

6. Emma Grace meeting Sarah Beth - 2/06

7. Sarah Beth & Daddy - 2/06

8. Emma Grace 7/06

9. Emma Grace & Mommy - 9/03

10. Sarah Beth & Mommy - 4/06

11. Emma Grace & Daddy - 4/06

12. Emma Grace & Nana - 12/03

13. Emma Grace & Katelyn - 7/06

What's Up?

2006-08-14T21:16:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since you've gotten a real update on what's going on with us so I thought I'd give you the brief run down!
1. Sarah Beth now has 5 teeth and 2 more working their way in. She drools like crazy and spits up waaaaayyy more than Emma Grace did. She also ate cereal for the first time tonight and it was tons of fun! I'll post pictures of it soon.
2. Emma Grace turns 3 in 3 weeks and I'm completely dumbfounded by how fast those 3 years have flown. She grows up a little more everyday. She loves Mary Poppins & Willy Wonka right now which is a welcome relief from JoJo's Circus & all the other cartoons that never seemed to really go away even when the tv was off!
3. I resigned my job today! Very fun! Very exciting! I'm going to stay home with my girls and just be mommy. I'm also going to get to serve and work alongside my husband in whatever and wherever the Lord leads us. I'm ecstatic!
4. Michael is still undecided in what and where he's going to "work". There are a lot of moving parts to making a decision on buying a franchise and we're working through details and stuff now so we make a well-informed, wise decision.

Alrighty - that's a brief synopsis of our lives...we'd love to hear what's going on with you so leave a comment, email us or come by and visit!

Thursday Thirteen

2006-08-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Favorite Moments In Life
1…. Sitting by the ivory chest set in my dad's office with both of my parents and accepting Christ as my Savior - Summer 1982(ish)
2. Opening the door of my apartment to see my boyfriend on one knee with a bouquet of daisies in one hand and a ring in the other hand! - July 26, 2000
3. Saying "I do!" - February 10, 2001
4. Holding my 1st born daughter for the first time after the longest 2 1/2 days of my life of sitting there waiting for the doctors to let me hold her. - September 7, 2003
5. Holding my 2nd born daughter and breathing a sigh of relief that there was no complications. - February 18, 2006
6. Being handed the keys to our first home after developing writer's cramp from signing our lives away on the loan documents. - July 29, 2004
7. Winning a ribbon in an English riding class at a local horseshow where a competitor was one of the "top" trainers in the area and he didn't win a ribbon! - Sometime in highschool
8. Acing an overhand serve in a volleyball match against my former school where I was sub'd out every time I came up to serve b/c the coach didn't think I could do it well enough. - Junior year of high school
9. Home visit by a college coach who was recruiting me to play basketball in college. - Senior year of high school
10. Turning 16 and seeing a big bow on my dad's car outside cuz it was now mine! - August 1992
11. Graduating college! - May 1997
12. Every laugh, giggle and smile that comes from my girls! - Daily
13. Every morning when I wake up and realize that my family is healthy and thriving! - Daily

Thursday Thirteen (For Real...)

2006-08-03T19:26:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Thingsthat irritate me about blogger.com...okay, so 8 things about that and then 5 other random thoughts

1…. I already did a T13 - I worked long and hard on it last night and when I went to post it, it totally messed up my whole blog site..moving stuff around in weird places...and I used a predone codes and "filled in the blanks"...Grrrr...
2. So, I copied what I'd typed and saved it for this morning and I redid it..and it posted only half of it. Again..frustrating.
3. So, I deleted it and tried again...still only half of the 13 points showing up and none of the Thursday Thirteen stuff at the bottom despite my having redone it with one of the predone codes. Grrr...
4. I had already put on the Thursday Thirteen website that my list was up and then when it was weird, I just took it down so it made a liar out of me. Grrr....
5. Other times, when I am working on a post and I go to save as draft or to publish it, it sends me to a blank page that says the site has moved here and but it won't let me leave that blank page. Hmmmm...minor inconvenience at first but getting really old now. Grrr....
6. I do not understand html code except for the very basics and every time I try to jazz up something and I actually spend the time searching and figuring out how to do it, it either doesn't work or the whole blog gets all rearranged. Grrrr....
7. When I'm on my iMac, this site does not like me at all and will not do anything to cooperate with my posting anything. The iMac will be my only computer at some point here in the fairly near future so there may be limited posts or none at all when that becomes the case. Grrrr...
8. My other T13 I had worked hard on was much better than this but I do not have it anymore as it lost all but half of my 13 points and I can't remember them and they took too much thought the first time through - I don't have the time to do that again! Grrr...
9. We're not moving to Chicago, that kinda makes me happy cuz it's really cold there in winter.
10. My 5 1/2 month old is not happy about having to play on the floor right now.
11. Since this is the 5th time I've tried to post a T13 today, I'm just rushing through it so I'm sorry - next week will be much better!
12. My almost 3 year old is walking around talking on her "phone" and carrying on a very well thought out, mature sounding phone conversation with someone - and it's totally cute!
13. I'm at #13 now so I don't have to do this anymore today...blogger.com has not made my posting very easy so hopefully, this will post correctly. I'm on the iMac so I make no promises.

Thursday Thirteen

2006-08-03T09:02:00.000-05:00

Due to technical errors and the internet being at odds with my will this morning, my thursday thirteen has been postponed til a later time during the day. It was posted and then it only showed half of it and the other half just disappeared. Hmmm....I'm confused.
So - sorry - please check back again later!

Kinsey Elaine Ferguson

2006-08-02T07:45:00.000-05:00

I posted a couple of weeks ago on the newest addition to our family but I thought I'd share all the details and a picture so you can all see how much beauty runs through our genes! :)

My brother, Shea & his beautiful wife, Amber, gave birth to Kinsey Elaine Ferguson on July 16th at 10:41p.m. She weighed in at 7lbs 2oz and 19 inches long. Perfectly healthy and obviously beautiful - she instantly became the apple of their eye!

What's neat about Kinsey is that she was named after my mom (Carol Elaine) and she also shares a birthday with mom! Mom is just head over heels in love and awe that she has that honor.

I have not yet gotten to meet Kinsey in person although I have heard her talking over the phone and she sounds absolutely sweet as can be but soon, I hope to make the loooonnng trek to VA to meet this precious child!

In order to do so, I need to win the lottery or come into a large sum of money pretty quickly...and since I don't see that happening and it IS my birthday this month (see Birthday Month at my dear friend's blog), I'm accepting gifts of cash, Visa gift cards, American Express gift cards and airline miles of various amounts to help in my quest to make it to VA before Kinsey goes to college! *grin*

Wow...What fun!

2006-07-31T20:13:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been back from vacation for over a week now and yet, the kingdom of blogdom has eluded my recognition. However, it's time for some of the addiction to take back some of my time and energy. So, here's a few words about our vacation:

Location: Gulf Shores, AL

Who: Michael, Mandy, Emma Grace & Sarah Beth
Michelle (Michael's sister) & Katelyn (niece)
Lavon (Michael's uncle) & Alex & Brady (cousins)

Details:

It was so much fun! Just watching Emma Grace & Katelyn play together is a lot of fun in itself. They are 8 months apart and just love each other to pieces! Everyone was smitten with Sarah Beth (who wouldn't be?) and the boys were so sweet and cute with her! I so wish we lived closer to everyone...maybe someday? *sigh*

Photo Session:

We took the opportunity of having all the girls together on the beach to get some sweet pictures of them. So, we got them these beautiful white "pillowcase" dresses with pink ribbons and pink monograms and some eyelet lace - totally feminine and beautiful!!! Then we took them out on the beach and snapped some photos. Of couse, they are the cutest girls ever which means that it's very hard to take a bad picture so they all turned out sooooooo stinkin' cute!

Dining:

We also ate very well...okay, so we ate a ton of food...and it was all really good! I highly recommend dining at Lambert's Cafe the next time you're in the Gulf Shores, AL area...or anywhere within the surrounding 2 hours drive! It's so worth it! The only word I have to sum it up is "Wow!" Lambert's is the home of the "Throwed" rolls and yes, they really do throw the rolls at you - but trust me, you catch them and gobble it up so that they'll continue throwing them at you! They are also continually walking around with "pass 'rounds" which are all you can eat black eyed peas, fried onion & potatos, fried okra, sorgum & apple butter. That's all on top of your ordered food. I ordered chicken fried steak (which I DO NOT order at most places b/c it's not real steak usually - and I'm not a fan of the "left overs") and it was literally wider than both of my hands put together and delicious doesn't begin to describe it. Michael ordered the roast beef and ate til he was full and had enough left over to make two huge sandwiches for lunch the following day. Michelle had the chicken & dumplings and it was the one thing in the restaurant that was not good. So, don't get the chicken and dumplings! I've never had home cooking that good away from home - it was delicious!!!!

Conclusion:
I'd like to live on vacation! *grin*

Happy Birthday!!!!!!! Doubly so!

2006-07-16T23:35:00.000-05:00

My niece is here! My niece is here!
My beautiful sister-in-law, Amber, gave birth to Kinsey Elaine Ferguson tonight (Sunday, July 16, 2006) at 10:41p.m. She weighs in at 7 lbs 2 oz and 19 inches long. I hear that she's gorgeous - at least, her daddy (my brother) says she is! :) I have no doubt b/c she's related to me so really, how could she not be? *grin*
I can not wait to meet her myself...so if anyone has any great ideas on how to get to VA from TX for cheap, let me know!!!!!
My mom's birthday is also today - so her big birthday present is obviously...Kinsey! Now, what makes this extra special is that Kinsey shares her middle name with my mom - Elaine is mom's middle name too! How fun and special is that? Happy Birthday Mom & Kinsey!
I'll post a picture or two as soon as I can!

We're leaving for vacation first thing in the morning so this may be the only post you see this week...of course, we never go anywhere without a computer so who knows?

Have a great week!

Thursday Thirteen

2006-07-12T20:13:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things I Consistently Pray (& Dream)...

1. I pray for myself - that I would be the wife, mommy, friend, employee & servant that God has called me to be and that my own desires would submitted to who, what & where God has me now.

2. I pray for my husband - that he would be the husband, daddy, friend, employee and servant that God has called him to be.

3. I pray for our marriage - that we would continue to put God first and each other second so that the demands of life would not drive a wedge between us and that we would be completely and totally open & submitted to the call of God on our lives.

4. I pray that the example Michael & I set for our children in regards to personal relationship with the Lord and relationship between each other would be one that we want them to have in their future relationships with their spouses. (& I pray for their future dates & spouses too)

5. I pray these three things for my girls: cheerfulness, purity and obedience.

6. I pray that we would raise our girls to be godly women with gentle quiet spirits and deep sensitivity to God's call on their lives. (& I dream of seeing where God leads them!)

7. I pray that despite the miles between us and our family members that our girls would know and love (and be close to) their grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. (& I dream of the day when those miles are shortened!!!)

8. I pray that as my girls get older our relationship (mother/daughter) would be close and they would feel like they can tell me anything without fear of rejection or condemnation.

9. I pray for patience (I know...that's dangerous!) and calmness with my girls when frustration and exhaustion sets in.

10. I pray (with thankfulness) for the provision that God has blessed us with beyond our needs (& I dream of the day I can be full-time mommy!)

11. I pray for the health of my immediate family and my extended family.

12. I pray that I would be more assertive and voice my opinion in concise, understandable ways...with gentleness and truth.

13. I pray random issues that are on my mind throughout the day - anything from "my calloused feet are ugly and need help" to "what do I do in this situation right now?

4th of July & other stuff...

2006-07-07T22:16:00.000-05:00

Okay...so it's Friday night and this is the first opportunity I've had to sit down and do whatever I want to do...and I chose to update this blog so those of you who ask me where my updates are..just know that I am sacrificing valuable relax time to do this! *grin*

The 4th of July...we basically just hung out at home...which is nice but not really relaxing with two kiddo's begging for attention and no where to send the 2 year old to expend some energy b/c it's raining outside!!!! It did manage to clear up for some fun and fireworks late that evening. We went over to our friends house and ate some really, super yummy briscit (how do you spell that?) and ribs that Dave smoked himself...fantabulous! Then we let the kids play on the inflatable water slide and then we had fireworks. You can see pictures at the Powell Pics webpage. :)

The rest of the week was filled with work and cleaning and planning our vacation!!! Waaahooo!!! We're going on a vacation...a real vacation...not to a family member's house...but rather, we're going to the beach! (and family members are meeting us there...you didn't really think we'd take a vacation and not include family, did you?) On Monday, July 17th, we're heading down to Gulf Shores, AL for a week of...well...the beach, the kids and nothing else...I hope! I can't wait!

This week, I also hosted my first Stampin' Up Stamp Camp...12 people came. I was amazed cuz I really thought only like 6 of the invited would come. It was fun. My friend did it for me so I could watch how one was done so I just got to sit back and enjoy. As much fun as it was, I'm not sure that I'm going to make the minimum amount of sales every 3 months so I may have just proved my point that I've always held that I am stinky at this type of thing! The minimum sales is pretty low but I'm really bad at promoting and selling....BUT I'm going to buy a few things with my discount before I get "de-activated!" (maybe I won't get de-activated...who knows? we'll see!)

Well...with the rest of my relax time before my sleepy eyes can't stay open anymore, I'm going to do something besides this blog thing...have a wonderful weekend!

Oh - One More Thing...

2006-06-25T23:46:00.000-05:00

Today, we went to a wedding of some friends of ours from church. Rachel and Levi...she's taller than him! *SMILE* I wondered during the service if that was what we looked like at our wedding...I don't think I've seen anyone else's wedding where she was taller than him despite knowing several couples that way - so I got a glimpse of what our wedding looked like today. Very interesting...and beautiful! :) Cuz you know...my wedding was beautiful! :)
Anyway...I digress...
Levi has served at our church since almost the beginning...as a deacon and coordinating community groups. Rachel came to our church way back at the beginning and has since become a christian and served in numerous areas as well as worked in the church office. Anyway...today at their wedding, Matt (pastor officiating it) asked for everyone to pray with and for Rachel & Levi and those who felt comfortable could raise a hand in their direction as if they were laying hands on them. I was in the back holding Emma Grace (it was outside at 2:00p.m....do you know what it feels like outside at 2:00p.m. here in Texas?...so we were in the back under a shade tree) and when Matt said that, Emma Grace raised her hand toward them and bowed her head. It was the most precious thing ever. I didn't even realize she was listening to what was being said...sweet, precious jewel!
Thank You, Jesus for the gift of my Emma Grace who reminds me every day to love you with a childlike love!

Grrr...

2006-06-25T23:22:00.000-05:00

For someone who doesn't have a ton of time to sit and try to figure out what is wrong with a website or her computer, this "blogger" website is one of the most frustrating websites I've ever had to deal with. I know it doesn't look like I come update this blog very often but I promise I come to it, type up a cute little story or a sweet little happening, and I hit "publish post" and I get the most annoying error messages you've ever seen. About half the time, it doesn't post at all and all my typing is a waste...the other half, it saves it as a draft four or five times but it's so distorted that I'd almost have to retype it before I could post it. Either way, it's annoying. (Thursday Thirteens - I have done them the past two weeks...really, I have...but it hasn't posted either time. Grrrr....One week was thirteen things I find annoying (*grin*) - blogger.com was one of them! The other week was thirteen ways to spend a weekend when you have nothing to do...doesn't happen often but I could list 113 ways just off the top of my dream list!)
So - because I don't have time to sit and type and retype my posts every time I want to post something, I'm about to quit on this blog thing.
HOWEVER...I'm going to give it one more week to behave properly and then I'm going to the imac website where the girls pictures are posted (which...for those of you anxiously awaiting...new pics will be posted this week! Wooohooo!) and do the blog there b/c while I have to be on the imac to post (I think), at least it doesn't mess it up every time I go to publish!
Now I'm through typing this post on how annoying blogger is, I wonder if it'll let me post it? If you're reading this, then it worked! (this time)

Quick news for you (in case it works):
1. Sarah Beth is now very proficient at rolling in both directions - from tummy to back and back to tummy. She's such a big girl! She's scooting too...why do I have kids who don't stay babies very long? I'm scared she's going to wake up tomorrow and be walking? Where'd my baby go?
2. Emma Grace is officially in big girl panties and I think her little booty is the cutest booty on earth! Without diapers or pullups on, she looks even tinier but still...oh so cute! See...I thought she was just born the other day and now she's potty trained and will be 3 (that's THREE...oh my) in just over 2 months. OH MY. Again, where'd my baby go?
3. We now have a monster sized tv in our living room. Holy cow. I thought I would hate it but it's kinda nice to sit on a sofa and watch tv rather than lay across the bed or be surrounded by toys. It's like the adults have a "play room" now! Wow. But I must say, it's gi-normous and a little weird to have a movie sized screen (okay, so it's not really that big) on your living room wall. I wouldn't have put this in here, but folks kept asking if we'd gotten the tv yet...and now, you know. (For those who weren't asking - here's why folks kept asking: Michael's mom gave him some money and said to buy whatever he wanted with it and then asked what he was going to buy, he said "probably a big flat screen tv" and she said "good, use this and go buy it"...well, 6 months later.......)
4. You should host a Stampin' Up workshop/stampcamp/whatever! I'll do it for ya! :) *grin* This is another shameless plug that you'll rarely, if ever, hear me say outloud but I'll type it no problemo! :)
5. Pictures will be posted this week on the website...I promise. I'm going to try to do it tomorrow (Monday) but only promise that it'll be this week sometime...keep checking.
5. It's way past my bedtime...gotta go now.

Who Wears Short Shorts?

2006-06-18T09:08:00.002-05:00

Emma Grace wears short shorts!
Keep reading - I'll explain....

I've gotten several requests for an update so here ya go! Sorry, this week was busy and I didn't really have much to report but now we've got a funny or two for you and a couple of updates on our two sweet gifts.

First, Today Sarah Beth is four months old and has two teeth! The picture attached only shows one but I'll try to update with a better one later. (It's a hard picture to take!) She's also mastered the roll from tummy to back but is still working on the back to tummy. She's done it a few times but hasn't mastered it yet. So, if you wonder why I'm so sleepy...she lays in her crib and fusses til you come turn her back to her belly - a couple of times a night! It's crazy!

Second, Emma Grace has gone all week in big girl panties and only had a few accidents. Most of the accidents were on her way to the potty or because she was busy playing hard and didn't realize she had to go! I'm so beyond proud of her that I can't hardly stand it! I just smile and smile and smile cuz I don't have to change her diaper anymore!!! Woooohoooo!!!!! And she's very proud of herself too!

Now, I know you're wondering about the short shorts! Well, this past Friday we went to Sea World with some friends of ours and spent a couple of hours at the pool and then went on to explore the rest of Shamu's world. The dolphin show is amazing!!!!!! And of course, Shamu is always fascinating. Maybe I shoulda considered marine biology or something like dolphin training cuz it's just really interesting to me - but that's not really part of this story. Anyway, I had packed several pair of big girl panties and a couple pair of shorts for Emma Grace in the event that we had an accident. Well, we had one. So I pulled out her 2nd pair of shorts and realized that they were actually Sarah Beth's shorts so they were 3-6 months in size. When packing that morning, I had set out a set of matching outfits and then decided not to take Sarah Beth's but instead of packing Emma Grace's, I grabbed Sarah Beth's thinking it was Emma Grace's. What to do? Either put back on her wet swimsuit, wear shorts she'd tee-tee'd in, go without shorts and only in panties or try on the 3-6 mo sized shorts and see how they fit? Well, typically, an almost 3 year old isn't going to come anywhere near fitting in a pair of 3-6 mo sized shorts...but my tiny little girl fit in them just fine! Ha! They were definitely shorter than I'd buy for her and a little snug but nonetheless, they fit and didn't cut off any circulation! We got a good laugh about it and I'm giving you a picture here of her pushing the stroller wearing her "short shorts!"

Today is Father's Day! Emma Grace made her daddy a little scrapbook and a couple of picture frames ($1 spot at Target has awesome crafts for kiddo's...for those of you who have them!) so we went in early this a.m. and woke him up with a Happy Father's Day, hugs and kisses and presents! Their Daddy is definitely loved by his two little girls - their little eyes light up whenever he's around! I love him too! :)

Nothing New...

2006-06-13T22:59:00.000-05:00

Not much really to report but I thought I'd post so you wouldn't think I've forgotten about this thing.
Sarah Beth has tooth #2 now! And she's rolling over and scooting around - it's absolutely precious!
Emma Grace has gone 2 days in big girl panties with only 2 accidents! It's absolutely wonderful!

I'll post more when there's more to tell ya! :)

Thursday Thirteen

2006-06-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Bible Passages I Lean On Everyday....in no particular order
(I got this idea from a friend's blog...hope she doesn't mind...but it was a great idea!)

Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect"
James 1:5 "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
Colossians 3:2-3 "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
Colossians 3:18 "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord"
Colossians 3:21 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children so that they will not lose heart.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;"
Hebrews 10:19-25 "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"
Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men"
Isaiah 26:8 "Indeed, while following the way of your judgements, O Lord, we have waited for you eagerly; Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls."
Psalm 126 "When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad. Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."
I Peter 5:6-9 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world."
I Timothy 6:6-8 "But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by ontentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Sweet (& Proud) Moment

2006-06-06T18:10:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, Emma Grace brought me the fingernail polish and asked if we could paint her nails. Well, of course, I replied. I love that she loves to be girly! It keeps me girly.
I got one hand painted and she blew on the nails while I started the next hand. Then as she was blowing on them, she stopped and said "Thank you God for these nails." I said "What?" and she said "I was thanking God for my nails." I almost cried. But that's not all. As I finished her other hand, she continued on with "Thank you God for this nose and mommy's nose. Thank you God for my pretty nails and Mommy's pretty nails" and on and on. It was just such a sweet moment and I am so proud of my precious little lovebug's growing knowledge and understanding of who God is. I love her!

Parent Child Dedication

2006-06-05T08:52:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was, as usual, stuffed full of fun things to do! On Friday, we went to our friends house and played at their pool cuz it's like a miniature waterpark with all kinds of fun stuff to do. Emma Grace is getting tan lines despite the enormous amounts of SPF50 I put on her. The sun here is crazy...but why am I still pasty white?
Then on Saturday, Mimi (my mom) came into town because Delta has such wonderful Webfares every once in a while so we took advantage this weekend so she could come play with the girls.
Sunday was Parent Child Dedication at church so we took the opportunity to publicly give Sarah Beth back to the Lord and ask for prayer as we raise her up in the Lord. There were 5 other babies dedicated as well and the ones with siblings had their siblings with them. I felt so bad cuz I put Emma Grace in her class and she wasn't there with us. I comfort myself with the fact that they'll never remember this day so they'll have no idea that their mommy doesn't have a brain! (*giggle* I'm sure they'll think that anyway but not about this occasion!)
Now, we're off to start a new week. Mimi is here til Tuesday evening so I'm working from home today. Wednesday I start a new "business venture" with Stampin' Up (mainly, it's so I can save money..waaahoooo!!!!) so if you want to have a Girls Night Out and get some scrapbooking or card making done or if you just want to have a party or purchase some products, I'm your woman! Yep! That was my shameless plug!And this coming weekend, we're going to Corpus Christi for a birthday party for our precious Lawton - John & Amber's baby boy who is turning 1 year old!
Y'all have a fantabulous week....

Thursday Thirteen

2006-06-01T20:01:00.001-05:00

Thirteen Weird Things About Myself
that I find fascinating
(which may be weird in itself but I don't care, I think they are cool!)

My ears are kinda big and stick out (which explains why I won't cut my hair shorter than it is) but they have this ridge on them that is unique to my dad's side of the family.
My feet have perfect porportions...meaning...normal width, not too big, not too small, my toes are angled nicely and their length is perfect starting with the big toe being the longest and down from there. Until I broke my pinky toes, they were absolutely BEAUTIFUL feet! *grin*
My face has craters on it. I'm laughing as I write this cuz that just sounds really yucky but when I was 22-ish, I had really bad cystic acne on my cheeks...it was just really gross and nothing worked to clear it up so we just started praying about it and it went away except for a few craters it left behind. I'm thankful for the craters cuz it means the big ugly purply green monster size bumps are gone!
The sides of my belly have stretch marks on it dating from my first pregnancy. They are huge and really ugly but I have a beautiful healthy daughter and that's what I really care about. (note: I only added one stretch mark in my 2nd pregnancy and that makes me VERY happy that I didn't add as many as I did the first time around!)
I'm 5'10" and my husband is 5'6"(ish) - I said I'd "NEVER" date a guy shorter than me...and I married one. So the moral to this point is "never say never"!
I'm an organization freak. My closets all have extra shelves so that nothing has to sit on top of things so when I open the closet, I can see everything that's in it. My pantry is neat and all the labels face forward (on it's best day). My scrapbook area is all laid out nice and neat so I don't have to search for things and I can see all my options (except I keep accumulating options (aka - embellishments, stickers, paper) faster than I can use them right now..yikes!) A little OCD? Maybe. (Note: for those who see my house frequently...I said I was an organization freak not a clean freak)
There are only 3 pieces of "art" on my walls in my house that does not include a picture of a family member. Most are pictures of my kids but I do have extended family pics as well. I think pictures of my family is the most priceless artwork there is and I spend enough money on photos of my girls that they should be the predominate artwork in our home!
When I go shopping, I pick up lots of things to buy and then as I walk around, I reason myself out of all of it so I walk back through the store putting it all back away and I leave with nothing usually. It frustrates the stink out of my husband (especially when he's with me) but he doesn't seem to mind when he looks at the checking account!
I don't wear jewelry except for my wedding rings and my "baby gift" ring.
Earrings and necklaces drive me crazy. Saves me money cuz I don't buy jewelry!
I'd love to be an undercover agent with the FBI but I am a horrible liar and would be found out as soon as I stepped foot out the door.
I have a phobia of medicines and basically any pills of any kind. I have no reasonable explanation of this but I just don't like to take any medicine or pills. I'm horrible at it and can't remember to take them even when it should just be part of the daily routine. I don't take Tylenol or Ibuprofen either unless my head just feels like it's going to fall off. And...I have two precious little girls b/c I didn't take THAT little pill!
If I could spend an evening with any two present day "celebrities", I'd get Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson in the same room with me and I'd give them a piece of my mind...and that is just weird cuz I don't know them and they don't know me but they fascinate me.
Being silly, making up songs and laughing at nothing is one of my favorite things to do. I think it's in my genes b/c Emma Grace likes to do the same! :)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Big Weekend...

2006-05-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

We didn't do too much this past weekend but it was a HUGE weekend, none the less! On Monday, we went to a "waterpark" (more like an overgrown neighborhood pool geared toward the kiddos) and then cooked out some friends house. It was fun!

But the really big news is:

Sarah Beth has her first tooth!!! How unreal is that? She's only 3 months old (& 10 days)! Why does she already have a tooth? But sure enough, it broke through on Sunday. I had mentioned to some friends a few weeks ago that I could see little "nubs" beneath the gumline but they didn't believe me. Ha! Folks should listen to me cuz I don't lie! I was very sad because she's supposed to stay my baby and she's growing up waaaaay too fast. I'm trying to capture a picture of it but she's not really cooperating with keeping her mouth open long enough but here's a cute picture anyway!

And this picture of Emma Grace is just to showcase her keen sense of fashion! My girl matches pretty good but hasn't yet gotten the seasonal differences in clothes so we just HAD to wear our tights despite it being 96 degrees outside! She's such a funny girl.

I love my girls!

Lost - Who are you?

2006-05-29T17:48:00.000-05:00

'K...I'm a HUGE Lost fan so when I found this quiz (happened upon it - did not go looking, I promise!), I took it. I think the answer is wrong but it was a fun quiz anyway...except the XMen question b/c I know nothing about the XMen.
I think I'm more like Kate - sexy and mysterious! *giggle*
Oh - I do NOT have a great singing voice - just ask anyone who has stood next to me while we were singing! Maybe they meant, but you try to have a great singing voice!

Take the quiz:
Which LOST character are you?

Shannon
You are Shannon You can be a bit selfish at times, but you have a great singing voice.

Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook!

My Sweet Girl

2006-05-26T11:15:00.000-05:00

Thursday Thirteen

2006-05-25T22:36:00.000-05:00

Thirteen of my favorite things....(in no particular order)1. My wedding pictures

2. My digital camera

3. Pictures of my family - especially my girls!

4. My scrapbooking (and all the stuff that goes with it!)

5. My wedding ring (& engagement ring)

6. My pink Kitchen Aid - it's pink..how cool is that?!

7. My bedroom furniture - cuz it's gorgeous!!!!!

8. My Kozy Karrier

9. My Envoy

10. My house & my backyard

11. My dining room table...cuz it was such a great deal and such a surprise to find cuz I wasn't looking for it!

12. My pink carseat - cuz it's so darn cute and it's such a token of how much I've changed since having girls!

13. Our swingset - cuz Papa built it and we have so much fun on it!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Just For Fun!

2006-05-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

Ugh. So, I found this website and thought it would be fun to see what my name said about me in acronym style. Why couldn't "N" have meant "nice"? "Naughty" would've been more fun than "nerdy!" And apparantly, this generator doesn't have a clue about me cuz "D" is definitely not what you'd associate with me. "Y" - now that's just funny!

Try it out with your name!

M	Misunderstood
A	Appreciative
N	Nerdy
D	Dainty
Y	Yum

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com

Blessed...I am...

2006-05-23T22:12:00.000-05:00

God has blessed me in countless ways...if I tried to start naming all the ways He has blessed me, I'd run out of numbers before I even had to slow down to start thinking about it. His love is amazing and His continual outpouring of blessings despite my shortcomings (which if I started naming, we'd run out of numbers just as quickly!) astounds me.
So, here's what I don't understand about myself (well, one of the things I don't understand): How can I, after all He's given me, be dissatisfied and complain about anything? Yet, I find myself constantly in a negative state about something...and if I have nothing to be complaining about, I look for something. WHY ON EARTH DO I DO THAT?! It's craziness. Sometimes, I disguise my complaint in prayer requests or I attempt to justify it in "vent sessions" (which I think everyone needs in order to maintain sanity but only in the confines of a strict confidentiality agreement and actually, the vent session should be with God b/c He's the only one who can do anything about your feelings and/or the root of the problem anyway - and besides, He knows what you're thinking anyway) but it's just plain complaining no matter how I try to disguise it.
Now, you're asking - "where did this come from? Mandy doesn't usually talk about blessings and complaints or pretty much anything that she can't laugh about? This is totally out of character for her." Ha! It's not really out of character. I think about these types of things all the time...I just rarely speak them because my thoughts aren't concise enough to make sense in the human language...and I play devil's advocate with all my thoughts so I think in circles much of the time or I start on one topic and end up 10 topics later before getting back to the main point. (case in point: this blog. I started with blessings and how I still complain despite them then moved to vent sessions and now I'm on why I don't express these thoughts more often which has nothing to do with my original thoughts on blessing and complaining..WOW.)
So, back to blessings and complaining. I need to shut my mouth and turn off my brain on the complaining thing. I am blessed and lead a very "charmed" (for lack of a better word) life so the complaining that I do is ridiculous and petty. So, when you hear me complain, remind me that I wrote a really long blog on the craziness of it all.

Today's the day

2006-05-22T08:02:00.000-05:00

Wow.
Today's the day and I am so not ready.
but hey...today's the day.

Thursday Thirteen

2006-05-18T17:05:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things I love about my family

1.

That my husband puts God's desires and plans for our lives above my wants and desires.

2. That when my 2 1/2 year old daughter wakes up in the morning and sees me sitting with her, she gets the biggest smile on her face...then she pretends she's asleep but she can't stop giggling.

3. That when my 3 month old daughter grins, her eyes light up the entire room.

4. That when my husband walks in the door, my daughter's giggles and excitement about seeing him make my heart skip a beat with glee!

5. When out of the blue, my daughter comes up and gives me a hug and a kiss on the nose for no reason.

6. When my baby sleeps on my chest and breaths in my face...there is nothing sweeter than baby breath! (except spit up smellin' baby breath..ick)

7. That the song my daughter wants me to sing each night is "Away In A Manger" and mainly, I just love that she likes my singing!

8. That my daughter thinks the moon belongs to her Nana and she has to see it almost every night.

9. That I'd rather be home with my family than anywhere else in the world (even when I feel like I really need a break)

10. Watching my girls interact with each other - seeing my eldest daughter love and care for her sister and show zero jealousy over the time she requires of me that used to belong completely to her and then seeing my youngest daughter's eyes follow her sister around the room.

11. That we follow no schedule and despite my intense desire for some sort of routine and normalcy, everything that needs to get done, gets done and we usually have fun in the process.

12. That even when we're irritated and frustrated with each other, we are completely in love with and devoted to each other.

13. That I was blessed with the gift of my wonderful husband and precious daughters.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

 Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday.  Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged!  If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments.  It’s easy, and fun!  Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well!  I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



Personal Shopper, Anyone?
2006-05-18T08:29:00.000-05:00
Okay...so I think I've figured out what I want to do for the rest of my life. I haven't really ever decided that because I am scared that once I decide what I want to do with my life, I'll officially be old or well on my way and I really prefer to stay a kid! However...I think this profession will keep me young and I'll have fun too!
On our way to Corpus Christi last weekend, I stopped at the outlets in San Marcos to find the deal of the century. I didn't find it.  Actually, I stopped to find me some clothes because I have none that fit over the bookshelves on my hips (sparetire = nasty) but I didn't find any of those either...nothing fits but no one seems to mind me walking around in my monster sized t-shirts and elastic granny pants so I'm not worried. *grin*
But the trip wasn't worthless...I found what I want to do. I love to shop for baby and kid clothes! I could spend all day searching through the clothes matching outfits to personality and getting the great deal on that perfect pair of shoes that go with everything (b/c I can't justify shoes that only match one outfit - that's craziness). I love it. Baby clothes and toddler clothes just make me happy. They are so cute! I think I may have to keep having kids just so I can keep shopping for kids clothes! Ha! Just kidding - instead, I'm going to have to find some clients....so, I'll be your personal shopper for your kids clothes!
In exchange, will you be my personal shopper for pretty much everything else in life cuz I'd rather not put myself through the torture of trying on any more clothes and I really just don't enjoy shopping in general.


Okay - So I can't help myself...
2006-05-17T09:12:00.000-05:00
I have to show you a couple more of the "family pics" we had done....
These are a couple of my favorites! You can see more by clicking on the Powell Pics link and going to the Powell Family page (I think that's what it was called?).

I love my family!!!!!
 



Three Months, Sisters, Aquarium & Family Pictures
2006-05-17T08:08:00.000-05:00
I don't really have anything to blog about but it's been over a week so I thought I'd give you a little something to read. It's not terribly exciting but it is what it is...I think I'm getting a bit boring as I get older. I'll work on that!

Three Months:
Time is drawing short and I'm gearing up to head back to work on Monday. Sarah Beth was born on February 18th so she'll be 3 months old tomorrow! It's crazy how fast these 3 mo. have gone. How do I feel about going back to work? I keep getting that question from folks. I don't know that I have a precise answer for it. I'm okay with going back to work. I knew from the beginning that I'd go back in 3 months so while I focused on relaxing and enjoying my girls, I didn't allow myself to get into a routine like I would if I were going to stay home full-time. On the flipside, obviously, my dream is to stay home full–time and just be wife and mommy. I'd love to concentrate my efforts and work on just those parts of my life. But I'm very grateful for the job that I have and the flexibility that I have with it. Emma Grace is going to play with a friend of hers each day (I work with her mom) and Sarah Beth will go to work with me at least until the end of the summer. So, how can I complain with a set up like that?!

Sisters:
As I started typing this, I was watching Emma Grace sit with Sarah Beth and try to get her to either hold on to her teething toy or chew on it.  She was gently putting it into her hand and her mouth and talking in a small, sweet little voice explaining what she was doing. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a caring and kind little girl. I asked her if she loved her sister and she nodded and said "I love my Sarah Beth." Three months ago, she said the same thing and wanted to hold her all the time and I thought "I hope this lasts" and so far, it shows no sign of going away. She's constantly loving on her and when Sarah Beth cries, no matter what we're doing, Emma Grace says "mommy, go take care of her." What a precious heart she has!!!

Aquarium:
I always want to spell that word "acquarium" for some reason??? I don't know why? Anyway, we went down to Corpus Christi this past weekend for a visit with John, Amber & Lawton. Amber & I have been best friends since high school in VA and amazingly, we both ended up in Texas - 3 hours apart! How cool is that? On Saturday, Amber & I took the kids (Emma Grace, Sarah Beth & Lawton, who is 11 mo. old) to the Aquarium. It was so much fun. We saw all kinds of fish and got to watch dolphins. Emma Grace thoroughly enjoyed it all and I decided that fish kinda gross me out..except the dolphins, I like them!

Family Pictures:
I am a picture snob. I love pictures. I love to take them. I love to scrapbook them and I love to put them up all around our house. I think I have all of 2 pieces of "art" that don't involve some sort of family photograph in my house! I spent more on photos at my wedding than anything (except the food) and the tradition has continued since. My girls have more pictures of them in their short lives than I think I have in my entire life. I love it! My husband, however, he is not fond of picture taking but every once in a while, I can get him to be a good sport and humor me with a family picture. I got family pictures done when Emma Grace was 6 weeks old and 1 year old, but we haven't had any since then. So, a couple of weeks ago, my friend Tiffany, who is a photographer, came out to our house and took our pictures. I had planned to do them in our backyard but we had a massive storm the night before and we'd have been wading through the puddles. (By massive storm, I mean 2 inch hail and 70 mph winds - craziness) Despite not getting the background I wanted, we still got some good pics! And I've got the itch for some more frames!
Speaking of pictures, Sarah Beth is getting her 3 mo. pictures taken and she has the cutest outfits for them! I can't wait!!!!

Finale:
I just wanted to use the word "finale" rather than "finally" because it just seemed like more fun but I really don't have anything to say except that I keep seeing these other blogs that are way more interesting and fun than mine. So I'll try to get a little more updated on my blogging knowledge and add some jazz to this one! But I make no promises...you may be lucky just to get some life updates out of me starting next week.

Finale #2 - Prayer Request:
Michael is still considering Quizno's or Chick-Fil-A or something along those lines. He's also working on/updating his resume so that he can begin looking for a job. My prayer request is just that we be open to where and what God has in store for us. My obvious desire is to move closer to home but I want to be wherever God wants us to be...doing whatever it is that He wants us doing. (but for those who know me, you know I don't want to have to wait long to find out what that is!)


Powell Updates
2006-05-07T22:18:00.000-05:00
This post may seem more like a vent session than anything else but I figured if I started this blog to keep family and friends updated, then I might as well do just that with it. (and I hate the phone so this is easier) So, here ya go - your inside look into what's going on in the Powell household....

First, we've digressed a bit in the potty training success story. We were doing so good - going potty about 8 out of 10 times and then Friday morning, she just decided to go tee tee in her Pull Ups again and not use the potty at all. (Yes, we're back to Pull-Ups b/c I got tired of cleaning puddles out of my carpet) I was getting really frustrated and then I had an epiphany. God must get so frustrated with me when He's teaching me something and I start to get it and then suddenly, I'm back at square one. I do it over and over and over and usually, it's with the same lesson. So, this realization made me much more patient with Emma Grace and today, she started tee-teeing in the potty again. Of course, Michael went out and got more M&M's so that may have spurred the return to the potty a little too! I'm sure we'll be out of Pull-Ups by kindergarten, right? :)

Second, you may or may not know that Michael was interviewing for the college pastor position at our church. He has been volunteering as the "college guy" for a while now because he has a real heart and passion for college students. So when we got to the point where we were ready to hire, he applied for it.  The hiring process (in short) is that a team of 5 church partners (non-staff) interview the applicants and choose a couple to send to the staff. The staff then interview those and send one to the elders for them to interview and offer (or not) the position. Michael's interview with the team was 2 weeks ago and this week, they let him know that they had sent two other guys on to the staff. Very disappointing. Knowing his desire to serve and love college students and seeing him enjoy that part of his life over the past couple of years makes it very hard for me to understand why he isn't getting the opportunity to do it as a vocation. I have taken a "don't talk about it, just pray hard" approach to this b/c I am very sad, disappointed and a little frustrated for him. Who knows? Maybe this means we get to move back home?!

Third, Michael has been self-employed doing full-time contract IT work for the past 1.5 years (longer than that part-time). Well, he is phasing out his clients as he feels like God is moving him in a different direction. This decision was made regardless of whether he got the college pastor position or not. So, as of June 1st, he will be unemployed. He is looking at opening a franchise of some sort (Quizno's is at the top of the list right now) with a friend of ours but no decision has been made as of yet.

Fourth, I took 3 months maternity leave and it's almost over. Can you believe that Sarah Beth is almost 3 months old? It's unreal. I have had the most wonderful time off  - better than I could have imagined. I haven't gotten half the things done that I wanted to get done but I have gotten to spend precious time with my girls that I wouldn't trade for the world. I am beyond blessed and completely grateful. I'm also very sad that my time is almost over. May 22nd, I'll go back to work. Of course, my job is as "perfect" as it gets for raising my family so I'm not complaining  - but those of you who know me, you know I'm having some real interesting conversations with God right now.

Fifth, there is no fifth thing to update you on that I can think of right now. Unless you want to hear that Sarah Beth is smiling and talking to me all the time. When she's fussy, all I have to do is walk in the room and she quiets down (unless I dilly dally and don't come love on her!). She is so much more pudgy than her sister was so I've been given the best of both worlds - tiny, petite baby and now chubby, pudgy baby. I love the rolls on her thighs and her double chin. She is absolutely precious and spoiled rotten! (as is Emma Grace)

Now, you've been updated...til next time!


Sometimes...
2006-05-04T08:32:00.000-05:00
Sometimes...
Life is just weird and stinks.


Boyfriends & Other Funnies
2006-04-30T22:24:00.000-05:00
Okay - so tonight, you get two posts...I couldn't figure out a title that would combine the two so instead, I am just writing two posts. This one is short though! :)

Funny #1:
Rather than read a book every night, Michael and I have started telling Emma Grace stories each night and having her tell us stories too. I figured it was good for her ever active imagination to do this - but for those of you who would freak at my saying "rather than read...", never fear, I read books during the day all the time! Anyway, she has started telling me stories at random times and in random ways now - and it's hilarious! She yells them, she sings them, she whispers them. Today, we were in the middle of a department store and she starts singing "I love mommy and daddy and Sarah Beth. When we get home mommy will feed Sarah Beth from her booby" and she just goes on. I died laughing and the ladies around me did too.

Funny #2:
This afternoon, when getting Sarah Beth dressed for church, I said "Sarah Beth, let's get dressed so you can go to the nursery with your boyfriends" (there are several boys born within weeks of her including a set of twins that are absolutely adorable!) Emma Grace picked up on the word "boyfriends" and started using it in all her conversations. She told me endless times that Sarah Beth was going to play with her boyfriends and that she was going to class with her boyfriends. I just agreed with her and thought it was cute. Then tonight, we leave church and Emma Grace says "Mommy, boyfriends are yucky" and makes a gagging type face. I started laughing so hard I couldn't drive. I asked where she heard that from and she said "I don't know but boyfriends are yucky!" Then when Michael got home, I asked her to tell daddy what she thought about boyfriends and she looked at him and made the gaggy face again before saying "YUCK"! Again, soooo hilarious!

I wouldn't trade these moments for anything in the world. Emma Grace is one of the funniest people on earth! I love it!!!


I'm That Mom!
2006-04-30T21:57:00.000-05:00
Let me start by saying that I never imagined myself with girls. You know how when you're growing up, you dream of your wedding and what your life will be like afterwards - husband who is perfect and kids who always obey? Haha! I always imagined myself with a house full of boys - rambunctious, athletic and smart boys...three of them...spaced about 2 years apart. I can only remember thinking about girls as a side thought to the house full of boys and even then, it was only one little princess amidst the little men!
It is so obvious to me that God knows best because He has gifted me with  2 girls spaced 2.5 years apart and now I can't imagine it any other way. I love my girls!

So - what does my title mean..."I'm That Mom!" When I'd see a mom dress her kids alike and sometimes even dress like them, I used to giggle and cringe and think to myself "I'd never do that to my kids" and I still don't think I can dress exactly like them. It's just beyond my normal comfort zone to do that.
However, I do coordinate my girls outfits. So far, I've only bought them matching shirts but in their vast and seemingly endless closets, I have found several outfits that coordinate or at least the color scheme is matching. I think it's so cute! Of course, Sarah Beth is still only 10 weeks old and rarely leaves her carseat when we're out and about so it's not obvious to the world that I've coordinated them but I know...and I giggle and cringe and think to myself "I've become that mom!" Emma Grace thinks it's so cool to dress like Sarah Beth - who am I to disagree?!

I did buy myself & Emma Grace the same style skirts in different colors that we wore with white shirts while Sarah Beth wore a white dress that coordinated so I guess I'm getting ever closer to wearing matching outfits!

Who knows? For Easter next year, we may all have matching dresses - I'm not putting anything past me now!
I'm that Mom!!! and I love it! :)


Things I love...
2006-04-25T16:18:00.000-05:00
I love watching them sleep (& snore).
I love "pulling weeds" and being given dead flowers from Emma Grace.
I love making up stories and songs while we swing on the swings.
I love watching Sarah Beth figure out the world around her.
I love watching Emma Grace draw and create things with her crayons and paints.
I love how Emma Grace adores Sarah Beth.
I love how Sarah Beth smiles and "giggles" at Emma Grace's monkey dance.
I love seeing the world through their eyes and learning to be in awe of it all.
I love being the one who answers when ants sting Emma Grace's feet or Sarah Beth gets tired of swinging.
I love seeing the excitement on their faces when Daddy comes in the door.
I love seeing them imitate us. (99% of the time)
I love the sweet, caring personality God gave Emma Grace.
I love that I get to watch Sarah Beth's personality develop.
I love that God loves & trusts me enough that He gifted me these beautiful girls for a time to teach and raise up to love Him.

Sappy & sentimental - yes...but I'm in constant amazement of the joys of motherhood that don't diminish even in the frustrating moments of temper tantrums and sleepless nights.
I love my girls!!!!


Sarah Beth - 2 Months Old
2006-04-19T07:42:00.000-05:00
 
Finally, a post about my precious Sarah Beth!
Sarah Beth is my little punkin' bear and the most fun baby around these days! She's started smiling and talking to us. She follows me around the room and is absolutely in love with her daddy. Every time he comes around, she just lights up with smiles and coos.
Emma Grace is still completely in love with her. She tells us all the time "I like my Sarah Beth" or "I like my baby sister" - what wonderful blessings we've been given! I am so thankful!
Proof that no two children are alike - despite coming from the same genes...Sarah Beth had her 2 month doctor visit yesterday (including her 1st shots - *tears*) and she weighs in at 12 lbs 9 oz and 23 1/4 inches long. When we got home, I pulled out Emma Grace's information from the same visit - she was only 10 lbs 13 oz and 22 1/2 inches long. I think it's very cool to have had such a tiny little baby with Emma Grace and now get to experience the chubby goodness of Sarah Beth! It's fascinating to me to sit and look at her little (or not-so-little) thighs...they are so sweet, you just want to squeeze 'em! And another blessing is that because of the size difference, all of Emma Grace's clothes will fit Sarah Beth in the right seasons! Sarah Beth may actually catch up with Emma Grace before she is 2 years old...we're gonna have to fatten up my 28 lb 2.5 year old! *grin*
I love both my girls so much and can't believe that we've been blessed with the likes of these two precious gifts.


Easter
2006-04-16T22:33:00.000-05:00
Two posts in one day...y'all should feel really special!
Happy Easter!!!

Nothing really exciting to tell you about but I wanted to post a couple of pictures of two really cute little girls!

This past Wednesday, we had our Easter Egg Hunt at a local park. Emma Grace held nothing back as she ran around getting as many eggs as she could fit in her basket. She was the oldest of the youngest kids so she had a distinct advantage - however, I'm so proud of her because she was also helping the younger children too! She's so sweet! To see pictures, you'll have to visit the link I put at the bottom of this post - they will be online by Monday afternoon!

The Easter Bunny visited our house this morning and brought Emma Grace the coolest bubble blower. It made bubbles bigger than she is and she had so much fun chasing them around the yard. She also got to dye eggs which she thought was one of the coolest things ever.


Sarah Beth got an Easter basket too. Funny thing about her basket is that it was filled with her own toys that used to belong to Emma Grace. She'll never know as long as we never tell her!




Growing up, I got an Easter dress each year and it was one of my favorite Sundays as I always felt so pretty on Easter. Yes, I know - it's not about a fashion show but it is a fun reason to get a new outfit and feel especially pretty! So, I'm determined to continue a similar tradition with my girls. Emma Grace got a brand new lavender dress that has white with purple polkadot bowties on the sides of the waist and tulle sticking out from underneath it! So completely adorable and princessy!!! Sarah Beth got dressed up too in Emma Grace's 1st Easter dress...white with lavender flowers and a lavender ribbon around the waist with a bowtie. She's looked absolutely beautiful! And...the best part is that they coordinated without matching! I love having girls!!!
I love being their mommy and I have so much fun doing it!

***NOTE: We have a website where most of our pictures get uploaded on a fairly consistent basis - including the Easter Egg Hunt.  http://web.mac.com/powellmap/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html
Enjoy!!!


Bye Bye TeeTee!
2006-04-16T22:12:00.000-05:00
Obviously, I think my beautiful Emma Grace is one of the 2 cutest girls on earth...but one of the cuter things she does is flush the toilet. Weird, huh? *grin*
***DISCLAIMER***
There is talk of tee-teeing and pooping in this story so if that grosses you out - quit reading now!

Last Sunday, I woke up determined that this would be the week we said good bye to the Pull-Ups. She's had the whole potty concept down since last summer but with me working full time, a really random schedule and getting ever so largely pregnant, I didn't feel like it would be fair to try to really potty train her without any consistency (and I figured it wouldn't work with out consistency either). So, with a month to go before our schedules get out of control again, I figured it was now or never...so off came the Pull-Ups and on went the big girl panties! I began taking her potty every 30 minutes and following her around with a towel. We spent all day Sunday changing panties. I was so frustrated. She would tell me she had to go tee-tee but it was either while she was tee-teeing for right after she finished (which was usually within 5 minutes of having sat on the potty!) I knew that if I could just get her to tee-tee in the potty and we did the fun potty party I had planned in my head, she'd catch on and this would go so fast!
Monday - the process continued and I thought I'd go insane...but then, I caught her starting to poo in her pants and I said "STOP!" and we ran to the potty and made it just in time!
The celebration started...I danced and sang a song, Emma Grace laughed her head off and got a little baggy of M&M's and some Dora stickers after she flushed the toilet and said "Bye Bye Poopy" and washed her hands.
Tuesday morning - we sat on the potty first thing and sure enough, she tee-tee'd in the potty...Another celebration ensued. Joy was the emotion of the day!!! Then, as the day progressed and I started the 30 minute thing, she started telling me "I gotta go tee-tee" and sure enough, she did. We've had a couple of  accidents along the way but my girl is good...she is almost potty trained and it only took a few days!
So why do I think her flushing the toilet is so cute? Well, besides the fact that it means I don't have to change her diaper/Pull-Up anymore...every time she goes potty - she watches it flush and says "Bye Bye Tee-Tee" or "Bye Bye Poopy" in the sweetest sing songy voice ever!


BUGS!!!!!
2006-04-05T17:36:00.000-05:00
I don't mind bugs. They don't phase me at all. Michael doesn't mind bugs - I mean, he's a guy...and if bugs bothered him, I probably wouldn't have married him. I haven't sheltered Emma Grace from much of anything - we've just lived life and let her live it with us since she was born. Last summer, we'd sit in the yard and pick the grass pretending it was flowers and watch the little bugs run around. We'd even torture the little roly poly bugs and make 'em roll up and then we'd push them down our driveway and watch them roll to the street. Something happened over the winter time. Maybe she just grew up and is now my precious little princess diva...but she HATES bugs - and I use the word "HATE" with all the emphasis I can give it.
My dad came out about a month ago and built us this fantabulous swingset in our back yard - it's got 2 swings, a slide, and a "fort" underneath the slide platform. We're going to get a kidsized picnic table for the "fort" area - I'm so excited!!! - But back to my story....
We have this fantabulous playscape and we can not keep Emma Grace off it. I have to literally pull her off the swing and drag her into the house when it starts getting dark at night....UNLESS...I can get a bug to crawl, fly or otherwise happen to be near her! I left her sitting in the swing yesterday while I went to change Sarah Beth's diaper and in the midst of the explosion in the diaper, I heard the most blood curdling scream out of a 2.5 year olds mouth I've ever heard in my life. I thought she'd climbed to the top of the slide platform and jumped off landing on her head and cracking her skull open...but alas, a gnat had landed on her shorts. She was frantic to get it off but couldn't let go of the swing because she was so petrified. I almost laughed except for the sheer terror written all over her face.
Right now, we're sitting on the porch and she's pointing out all the bugs she sees and making sure they don't crawl near us. Where did this come from? It happens all the time....how are we going to play outside this summer if we can't handle a gnat landing on us? We didn't have a winter so there's going to be tons and tons and tons of bugs, spiders and mosquitos. We're already seeing them.
Precious little girl - she'll just have to get over it!
Side note: I do NOT like spiders - I didn't mind them until we moved to Texas and you should see the size of spiders here. Gross spiders. I killed a black widow yesterday. Gross. Maybe that's where she gets it and she's just carried it over to all bugs of all sizes!
Side note #2: You're probably wondering why I don't say much about Sarah Beth. Well, I will...just wait. She's only 6 weeks old and besides a bunch of naps throughout the day, some eating between those naps (which does have some funny stories attached but not for a public space on the internet - email me, ask..I'll tell ya some funny stories!)  and some massively explosive diapers (which I'm sure you'd love for me to tell you about)...there's not a whole lot to tell ya about on her end yet. She's smiling now! That's cute as ever...and she's starting to coo and "talk" to us but other than that, Emma Grace is much more entertaining in story form...but the Sarah Beth stories are coming...I promise! :)


Emma Grace...my sweet love!!!
2006-04-03T13:22:00.000-05:00
If any of you know me, I'm kinda an organization freak. I like things to be organized and in their place and easy to find. I'm constantly rearranging and organizing our closets and cabinets and pantry...I can't clean without making a bigger mess by organizing. And..if any of you know my husband, you know that he's not so much that way. It's a good balance as I may go overboard if I didn't have him to balance me out!
So, last week, he was out of town and I got the organization bug and went to town on our room, our closet and our bathroom. I bought him a "desk" to store all his stuff that just piles up in our room and also gives him a place to work at night. I cleaned out drawers, rearranged the closet to maximize the space (amazing how much more space we have in there now! I should go shopping!!!) and the bathroom is sparkling clean!
Well, I did all of this mainly while Emma Grace (my 2.5 year old) was sleeping. When she woke up that morning, she was sitting in my room watching tv while I fixed her breakfast and she came in the kitchen and said "Mommy!" I turned around and looked at her and her eyes were as big as saucers. I said "what's wrong?" and she said "Mommy, I went in the bathroom and it is sooo pretty!"
I almost cried because I had worked so hard on it and she noticed! But then I thought "Now, that is sad. She noticed that my bathroom was clean and looked so pretty - it must look really bad and be really dirty most of the time."
My sweet little Emma Grace made my day by noticing all my hard work! :)


Alone - With 2 Kids!
2006-03-30T15:15:00.000-06:00
My mom called today to see how we were doing - what she didn't know before she called was that I was home alone with 2 kids and have been since Tuesday around noon and will be until Saturday afternoon. Michael left Tuesday for the Thirsty Conference at North Point in GA and that left me home alone with the girls for the first time. (I tried hard to get a flight home to avoid the following by myself - but alas, at the last minute there are no flights from Austin that you wouldn't have to be a millionaire to afford )
Her first question dictated how the rest of the conversation went - she said "How are you doing?" Ha! That led me into the following explanation of my morning...while we were seranaded with screams from the littlest member of the family.
"Uhmmm...I'm good..sort of. I haven't had any sleep and she won't stop crying. She did good last night by falling asleep by 11:00 and I had planned her feedings so she would give me a huge chunk of uninterupted sleep...but then Emma Grace woke up screaming at 12:45 because she wanted her daddy and wouldn't be consoled until she could come sleep with me so I took her to my bed (despite the little voice in my head telling me that was a bad decision) and that just proceeded to wake up Sarah Beth who decided since she was awake, it was time to eat. So, at 1:15a.m. I fed Sarah Beth and then by 2:30, both of them were finally back asleep. At 5:00a.m., Sarah Beth woke up again - probably from the constant bouncing of the bed by the tossing and turning her sister was doing all night.  I fed her hoping that would lull her back to sleep for a couple more hours but no way, she was awake and sleep wasn't interesting to her at all. She finally fell asleep at 7:00a.m. and Emma Grace woke up at 8:15a.m. around the same time Sarah Beth woke up hungry again. Neither went back to sleep after that.  And Sarah Beth has been crying and screaming for an hour because she's so tired and she won't let me put her down without her screaming ramping up to decibal levels that are prohibited in our neighborhood. So, how are you doing, mom?"
*grin*
Eventually, it all calmed down - but that has been my life for the past 5 1/2 weeks. I was spoiled rotten with Emma Grace who rarely cried unless there was a legitimate reason, ate at 4 hour intervals from the beginning (thank you, NICU!), and slept through the night almost immediately. I knew I was spoiled but prayed that it would continue through to all my children. It didn't. I love being their mommy but sleep deprivation and crying for no reason are both really bad to my sanity!!!!
So, the transition to two has been harder than I thought it would - mainly cuz I don't know what to do with a crying baby who has no reason to cry and because I like things to be fair and it doesn't seem fair to me that Emma Grace has to have less time with me because her sister won't stop crying! I stressed myself out about that one for a while - but I'm over it. Life isn't fair and the worrying about it was self-inflicted as Emma Grace hasn't shown one tiny little bit of jealousy and in fact, loves her sister more than anything and tries to help with everything. She is such an amazing little girl! 
As I type this, Emma Grace is playing beautifully by herself (cooking me water on her stove) and Sarah Beth is blissfully sleeping in her swing looking like a little angel. It's a moment of quiet that I'm treasuring and praying lasts at least an hour!


Sarah Beth's Arrival
2006-03-22T09:05:00.000-06:00

Sarah Beth was born on Feb 18th at 12:25p.m. She weighed in at a beautiful 8 lbs 4 ozs and 20.5 inches long. We had prayed she'd have a Feb. 18th birthday and God answered with a generous "yes!" - she shares a birthday with her Nana, Darlene Powell, who passed away in November '05.

Emma Grace is absolutely in love with her. She is always checking on her and giving her kisses and wanting to hold her. She calls her "my Sarah Beth" and says she definitely wants to keep her around.

Daddy is awed by having not just one gorgeous daughter but now, he's got two! He's already started looking at shotguns for when they hit their teens...but they'll be lucky to date that early! He really is such a good daddy...I married a wonderful man!!!

We are so blessed to have these two beautiful girls as part of our lives. I can't imagine life without them and am more than thankful to be their mommy!


Michael Powell
2006-02-03T01:02:00.000-06:00

I love that man!

Doesn't this make your heart happy?