Birthday Boy!

Yesterday was Rich's birthday, so we made sure to have fun all weekend long! It started Friday night with a date night- dinner @ Jimmy John's (what can I say, big spenders :)) and the movie True Grit afterwards. We always love a good date where we can talk to each other, eat slowly (even if it isn't a steak!), and relax. It was good...
Saturday night we had cake and ice cream @ my Mom's house with the fam- the boys mostly played with the remote control airplanes (and managed to crash them into every wall and some foreheads!) and the Wii (might I add I was top scorer for bowling- which is something I must brag about here because I am TRULY the WORLD's WORST BOWLER in real life!!!)...and the kids' favorite part was loading up and riding down to pet the horses in the moonlight and cold!

Here the kiddos helped him blow out candles!
Yesterday started with a sweet girl waking up her Daddy and giving him his gift...


...tickets to the CIRCUS!!!

...and his favorite, yummy breakfast right there in bed!


He spent the day doing what he loves best- playing with and reading to Jadeybug...


...and then it was time for the CIRCUS!!!

Oh if you have never been (and none of us had!)- the Barnum and Bailey's Circus is an experience that everyone needs to have! We had front row seats to "The Greatest Show On Earth"...and it was truly amazing!


...Our Ringmaster!


Amazing tightrope walkers...


...and the MOST amazing was how many people were folded up inside this box!!!

At least Rich and I loved it... :)

...Shaelyn Jade (who was too excited all day to nap prior to the circus) finally fell out during the motorcycle riders (loudest part of the show!) and slept until intermission. But she was ready again for the second half with cotton candy...



...and loved every second of those elephants!
...And out favorite part was when they brought out the sweet, new baby elephant and his mommy at the end...

What a special memory for us all!


We finished Rich's special day at home, on the couch, with his favorite cake--- Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. He finally got to blow out his birthday candles and make his special birthday wish.

...Apparently this was a fake because afterward I asked him if he made a wish and he reported, " I never really do."

"WHAT??" Not in this house! We wait all year long for one special day where we can make one special wish...and he doesn't do it? He said he wanted to try again...


...and then he wanted to TELL ME HIS WISH (don't worry, friends- I stopped him before it was too late...whew!)... As we curled up in bed last night he said it was a good day...and I agreed. I am so thankful for the wonderful husband that God gave me to spend my days with, and I just know that every year's gonna keep getting better and better!

Happy Birthday, sweet Rich! I love you!!!

PINK

So I woke up this morning with my right eye swelled and "glued" shut! Not the way I had intended to start, or spend, my day. Had to cancel our Library Day with Cash and Whitney (and the yummy lunch she was going to make for us...) AND dinner with our friends tonight. Not fun. Not a happy camper. So we are "quarantining" again, for the second week in a row, but the doctor says I should see tremendous improvement by the morning. I better, with these $60 eye drops (yes, I am serious!!!) that feel like acid on an open wound! People, I need prayers for this eyeball that is PINK, to say the least! Whoever named this "pink eye" was a genius, I tell ya'...he should have called it "Go To Bed Normal, Wake Up Feeling Like Quasimodo EYE".

...how my eye looks...

...and how my eye feels (with the help of photoshop!)...


:) Praying for less "pink" tomorrow...

...and wondering if I caught this from skyping too much with JOEY in South Africa?...

20 months...

Yesterday, my favorite girl was 20 months old. 20 months. Wow. When I say that number, it seems like time is flying by...but as I laid in bed last night, I had the warmest feeling inside as I realized I have spent every single day, almost every single minute of 20 months with this girl. I feel so thankful that I have been able to stay home with her and watch her grow. I haven't missed a day of it...and though it does seem to have moved a bit fast- I do remember it all. I was there with her...and I wouldn't trade this job for anything in the world! She is, as I tell her all the time, "biggity bigs"...every single day she wakes up and is smarter, has more to say, thinks harder...and loves me and her daddy more. I have said it countless times, I know, but she just brings me so much JOY!

And it was so sweet last night, on her twenty-month "birthday" :), to have two of her sweetest faces in this world come to our house for dinner, read her books in her room, sing sweet lullabies to her...


...it made her so happy at the end of her day. Joe and Greta- you have loved her so much during these 20 months and have been able to watch her grown with me... and I know she will love you both always!

One year ago, when my baby was this old...


...I posted the following poem. It is so true for each and every mother, I know...and is especially true for me today. I pray the next twenty months will be as sweet as these first twenty, and I know that before I blink these months will turn into years and my baby will turn twenty years old. Until then, I will hold her as long as I can and savor each day with her...because, as we all know too well, babies don't keep.

Song For A Fifth Child

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.


~Ruth Hulburt Hamilton (1958)

To my Shaelyn Jade:
Sweet girl, some day I hope you will read here where I try to record our days together and understand the happiness you brought me during these precious days of my life. You have given me joy that I never even dreamed of, and my role as your mama each day is the greatest way I could ever spend my time. The other night as we "bocked" (ie: rocked...),I whispered in your ear about the day you were born and your big, brown eyes looked up at me like you understood. I told you that I loved you from the INSTANT I saw you, like a miracle...and it's true. It was love at first sight, the very best day of my life. These past 20 months have been full of challenges for me as I have tried to settle into this mommy role, but you have made it so much easier and so fun for me. You are my Jadeybug. You have changed over these past few months from a chubby little lady to a lean little girl...you love baby dolls most of all, you're still totally unintrested in movies (even at the end of long days when I wish you weren't! :)), you talk 90 miles a minute, all day long...you love to eat fruits and veggies (I'm afraid you may actually turn into a blueberry!), you love to pray (even when we're not eating meals), and you ask you daddy to "MING" you by your ankles every single day...which he usually does, even if you have just eaten a huge dinner! We're not sure where it came from, but from the first time I said to you, "Jade- I love you", you instantly replied (and have every time since) "Nooooooo", in a tone that begs, "tell me again!" :) It melts your Daddy's heart. You are the apple of his eye and we have grown so close to each other since we both fell in love with you...You still love your mama more than anything else...and every single night as your eyes get tired you ask for your "BA BA" (passy), "bank-ek" (blanket), and "mama bock". When we get all settled in the rocking chair in the dark I hear you snap that passy out of your mouth, almost like clockwork, and ask in the sweetest voice I have ever heard, "Nong?"...I whisper, "Which song, Jade?" And almost always, you ask for the song that I sang to you the first night you were born (and a thousand times since) "GEEEE"...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...
There's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus,
Like the fragrance after the rain.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...
Let all heaven and earth proclaim,
Kings and kingdoms may all pass away
But there's something about that name.

It has been my prayer for you, each day of this 20 months, that God would endow you with wisdom and a steadfast heart for Him alone. Nothing will bring me more joy that to watch you come to know and love your Savior, "Geee", who loves you even more than I do. Sweet girl, I can't wait for the next 20...

With all my love,
Mama

We may be seen...

Me and my Jadeybug, we're outside kind o' girls! We'd rather be outside than inside any day-and we prefer to be outside in the sunshine...so to say we are fighting this winter dreary very hard is a bit of an understatement! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good snowfall with sledding and REAL sno-cones and playing outside with cold noses and toeses :)... and even being "snowed in" a few days is a sort of "adventure" for me, usually...but last week when that kind of fun winter weather struck, my sweet girl simultaneously (I mean literally- as the first snowflakes fell, her temperature shot up!) came down with some kind of virus that gave her high fevers for three days. We literally didn't don our snowboots once... B-U-M-M-E-R! It was a week of indoors for us, and a very slow pace (thank goodness for my sweet Mom who told me to come stay there a couple days for a change of scenery!), so I am so happy to have a healthy sidekick again this week. And as these winter days trudge on, I find myself looking for fun, indoor spots to entertain this little lady who is FULL of wonder at each and every site, no matter the time of year! No winter blues for that girl- no siree, she is so full of energy and life, even if it is all indoors!

So this winter, we may be seen at any of the following "hot spots" on a cold day- me, my Jadeybug, and any friend we can find to tag-along with us!

Spring Hill Library: Storytime almost every day by sweet Ms. Marcia, and a very fun craft afterward (which Shaelyn Jade usually tries to eat!), and a playroom full of fun toys. Two perks- relaxing for me, interaction with other kiddos for Jade, and best of all- it's FREE!



Shaelyn Jade and her friend, Cash got some buddy time here a couple weeks ago (here leaving hand in hand)...and precious Baby Ford snoozed through the whole thing..and Jadeybug stuck pretty close by...she LOVES a baby, ya know! (PS- My friend, Whitney, is making her new "mommy of 2" role look easier than I know it is going to be...she's a great mom to these two boys!)

TREESLIDE at Cool Springs Galleria: If you ask Shaelyn Jade if she wants to go to the "treeslide" you are SURE to get a shout of glee! We have found ourselves here on many o' rainy or cold day. Three perks- FREE again, enclosed area so I don't have to chase her, and she burns LOTS of energy climbing everything! We're always ready for naptime after the treeslide...


We caught up with one of Shaelyn Jade's bestest buds, Cate, and her sweet mama Teri last week at the treeslide...but they spent most of their time playing in the boat! Here, it looks like Jade doesn't like what Cate's doing to her...don't be fooled, folks- these two were a hoot together!

Peek-A-Boo Playtown: Now this place isn't FREE, ($7 per kid, per day, all day pass where you can come and go)but it is quite possibly our favorite new spot! We try to meet our sweet friends Chrisie and Kate and Abby here each week and I never see Shaelyn Jade for the whole time we're there. It's a huge room with slides and walk ways and balls to jump in...and then one whole side of it is turned into "shops"- a grocery store stocked with buggies and groceries, a fire station with fire suits and gear, a doll house with baby beds and high chairs and baby dolls galore...I am telling you, it is a FUN stop for any kiddo! And the best part- there is a "lunch room" with picnic tables where you can bring your own lunch in! I love that! There are couches and benches for parents (and Wi-Fi) and a gate that keeps everyone IN...it's a dream come true for me this winter!

Lastly...Chuck-E-Cheese anyone? I know, I never really thought of going here because in my mind, who would WANT to go there if they were obligated by a birthday inviation, right? But, I will admit that during desperate times, we may do desperate things! :) Actually, what I like about Chuck-E-Cheese is that you can meet a friend, split the meal ($15 each including 35 tokens..and the pizza is actually decent!), and let you kiddos run free for a bit.


We may have been spotted here with Rich, Sonya, and Liv on Saturday...maybe. :) And if so, I can tell you Jade and Livi would have been most intrested in this race horse!Giddy-up Cowgirl!

Any winter-fun ideas that anyone else has would be welcomed by this Sunshine Mama! We do spend lots of days at home playing together, but getting out of this house is a MUST every couple days. It's on those days that I am thankful for indoor play-places...and friendly faces!

SUSHI!

So my youngest bro, Taylor (always known as "Tay Tay" to me...who is, by the way, the coolest 20 year old I know!)called me this week and said he wanted to bring his sweet friend, Annie Grace, (who was visiting for a few days from North Carolina) over to our house to make homeade sushi! Several years ago, my very thoughtful mother-in-law found out that I like sushi and bought me all of the essential "tools" to make it at home...so fun! I even have a wonderful cook book that teachs all of the techniques from fileting the fish to cutting the veggies to making the rolls...and boy did we have fun with it once again! It is quite a process and does take a while to get it all "prepared" to roll...but once you do, it's well worth the wait!



We started with a little edamame and fried rice to hold us over as we made the tempura shrimp and veggies, cut the avacado, cucumber, and fish, and made the sticky rice. Then it was finally time to roll, roll, roll! Rich, Tay Tay, and Annie Grace all made a roll and then I voted on the best one. Honestly, it was Rich's winning "King Richard" that we all enjoyed best, but Tay Tay ran a close second with his "Mac-Daddy"...and Annie Grace put a spin on it with her own veggie roll. They were all yummy...and my favorite part was just that I got to spend a night with Tay Tay and his sweet friend, laughing lots and doing something fun!

New Year

On Christmas night, we loaded up and headed down I-65 SOUTHBOUND to Florida. That's right, folks...we spent the week of New Year's in Destin with Rich's family, for the second time.

It is truly a wonderful week. We don't get to see them enough, at all...especially Shaelyn Jade, so it was so sweet for us to watch her really get to know them, to love them.

These girls were absolutely wonderful with her all week long. From the minute she saw them, she wanted to be big like them and it was so funny to watch her show out for them. They toted her up and down the stairs on their "BACK!!!"...



...let her play for hours on the pool table...gave her all kinds of treats...

...played on the beach with her...and let her crawl around in their bedrooms all she wanted. It was so special for Rich and I to see her really come to love Hosanna, his little sis, and Em, his sweet niece...and she's asked for them at least 100 times since we got home!

We celebrated his Mom's birthday (also Jesus' birthday!) at a yummy hibachi restaurant...

...which Jadey loved...

...played with lots of new gifts that Nanma bought for her, which Jadey loved...

...got lots of snuggle time with Grampy...which Jadey loved, and thoroughly enjoyed taking in the beach...

...which Jadey L-O-V-E-D!

All in all, it was a good week for Jadey! :)

We spent out favorite day, New Year's Eve, in Seaside, which we all loved! Jade rode bikes for the first time and giggled for about the first 30 minutes...


We rode all over Seaside until our bottoms were sore...

...took in lots of beautiful scenery...



...and in the end, she fell asleep. On the bike. Classic.

That night, we took Rich's fam to one of our favorite local restaurants, The Red Bar-which was even more crowded than usual...meaning, about 200 people were all within your personal space as you ate...but it was fun!


...me and my girl in our brown boots and skinny jeans...

Later we went home and watched a movie, and at the climax of the movie (truly) we heard annoying, loud sounds outside...ummm...that would be FIREWORKS!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!....We totally forgot it was New Year's Eve...totally missed the ball dropping for my first time in years...but did manage to run to the roof and watch Baytowne Wharf's fabulous fireworks show...



...and sneak a kiss from my sweetie. It was another wonderful New Year's Eves with Rich's family...we figured out that we've spent the last 5 of 6 together, which is so fun!

But as all good things must come to an end, eventually it was time to go...

...but not before we welcomed these sweet friends in for their fun Florida week! Hope you guys are having so much fun and even soaking up a ray of sun or two!!!

It was a perfect way to spend the end of 2010. Exactly two years ago we were here in the same place with this same group, anticipating a baby just as we are now...due the same day in May! Funny. And two years ago, I drew a similar pic in the sand...

...only we didn't know then that the sweet babe in my belly was our Shaelyn Jade. Oh how hopeful and exciting to know the love of a child, now. We know we will love this sweet babe in my belly just the same, and are full of wonder, not knowing, once again whether or not "it" will be another sweet girly girl...or maybe a little Rich! Welcome 2011...hurry baby #2!

Mrs. Clause...

That's me. Really, this was my first time...and I was a little nervous. I have this little person that hangs with me all the time, and now it's up to me to make Christmas so fun, so exciting, so magical for her. This year, I wondered if she'd be old enough to "get it"...

So we tried her out with a couple new traditions... "Elf On The Shelf"...and a special Advent Calendar tradition that Rich always did growing up. Honestly, I doubted she'd really be able to understand either...but she QUICKLY figured out that every night when Daddy got home from work (in his "GUCK" might I add! :)) he would get down the little Advent tree...pick the drawer for the day it was...and in it there was always a special treat to eat! Ok, that one didn't take her long! Every day she would ask me no less than 15 times...
"Daddy?"
"He's at work..."
"Guck?"
"Yes...he drove his truck..."
"Appen?"
"Yes, he'll do the Advent Calendar with you when he gets home...."
...and then a big shout of glee.
When she heard his "guck" pull in at night, she would run to the kitchen, stand beneath the counter where the "appen" was...squeal as long as it took him to change his clothes...and then as he came into the kitchen with her she would run, run, run straight to the couch to open it....


Then we went and picked out our special Elf friend...named him Abe...and read the book the first night. I was super surprised and super happy the next morning when I heard a little voice call from the other room in the wee hours of morning..."EFFFFF???" What? Did she remember? I asked her, "Who?" ...."Ayyyy-B!"
The month of December was one of earlier than usual mornings, that same tiny voice each day...and an eager set of feet that hardly hit the floor as she ran to find her "effff."
Yes. Needless to say, she "gets it". She was so fun for this Mrs. Clause. A dream come true for this over-grown kiddo... Something I have always wondered about...What would it be like to have a child to create magic and sparkle for? Now I know...

We spent our Christmas Eve at home watching this classic...

...It's A Wonderful Life, which Rich had NEVER seen!!!!!!! It just me and my three favorite peeps...one tucked snuggly in my belly... one tucked snuggly beside me...

...and one, my handsome Mr. Clause, wrapping gift after gift, living this "dream" together...



This night was the magical part of Christmas, for us.

We taught our Jadeybug about Santa (AKA: "Thanti")...and his reindeer (AKA: "Meinee")...and put out snacks for both...


...and then Santa came to visit...and our living room was picture-perfect...if we do say so ourselves. I imagine every Mrs. Clause thinks the tree in her living room must be the most beautiful thing in the world at about midnight on Christmas Eve...


And then, the next morning...same little voice..."Effff!" No elf. "Appen?"
"No...they went back to Santa. But go check out our TREE!!!!"
...!!!








Oh it was magical for us all. A long morning (because she's still young enough to enjoy each gift!) of excitment and opening and special gifts that made us all happy. It was what one little girl will wait for all year...and what I have waited for all my life. It was the BEST Christmas EVER!