Brrrrthday!

Just after Christmas we took the girls to Sea World to see their Christmas stuff.  They got to visit Santa -- we told him he was taking his vacation in Orlando.  ;-)  They told him what their favorite gifts were, and we had a great, albeit COLD, time!  We were definitely bundled up as we watched their ice show!

Chris was busy over his "vacation" -- his biggest task was painting the girls' bedroom.  We had picked a pink that I thought would look less Pepto Bismol and more dusty rose.  I was out while Chris painted, and he called to let me know that he thought it might be a little darker than I expected.  I told him to go ahead, there wasn't much we could do about it now!  I came home and was greeted by the pinkest pink I'd ever seen!  We also put up the toddler bed for Rachael.  The girls were SO excited about their room!  Here are a couple of pictures of them as they first came in, and you can catch a glimpse of the pink:

Gracie pretends to sleep for her photo op...

Rachael pretends to stretch and yawn...

January came and brought along MUCH colder weather, so we learned a lot about hats, scarves and gloves!  These were taken when the girls were helping their daddy with some work on the back porch early one evening!  This was before they had their scarves, which I may have run out to get that very night.  I had no idea how much a scarf could help in the cool weather -- but why would I, being a native Floridian??  I was very thankful we were able to get all wrapped up every morning for school!  So were the girls!  (If you notice in the picture with Rachael, Chris is wearing shorts!!  Even on the coldest day we had, he went outside and ran errands in shorts, it's like he never gets cold!!

January also brought Miss Rachael's 3rd birthday!  We celebrated with family, and she picked the main dish -- pizza!  When asked what kind of cake, without hesitation she replied, "Strawberry!"  So strawberry she got!  Rachael had a big week -- even though she started off under the weather, she managed to fit in a haircut, a little lunch after moms' group with her friends, her birthday party, bringing cake to school the following day, and then after we picked Gracie up from school on Friday, we headed over to the zoo.  WHEW!  We did manage to wear the girls out enough that Rachael told us she was ready to go to bed!

Gracie brought home her second report card -- that's still a little wild!  She's doing great in school, and she's really impressing us with how well she's reading!  There is no point in spelling out words in front of her anymore, she'll figure it out!  Chris and I are going to have to figure out a new kind of code!  Grace loves coming home and telling us what she's learned, and I LOVE that!

Rachael is also still a huge fan of school!  For a little while there, she was acting like she was going to bolt after me when I dropped her off, but all it took was her sweet teacher offering to let her paint, and usually she'd be fine!  :-)  After the break, she was back to walking herself in and barely sparing me a wave!  She is definitely talking clear enough for strangers to understand, and the funniest thing is when she gets her hands going!  We are still working on the potty training thing -- and I do mean WE, it definitely takes parental involvement!  She knows what to do, I think it's just going to take me being willing to give up the diapers and Pull-Ups during the day altogether, and I'm not there yet!  Soon, though!

The girls are so much fun, especially when they play together, which they do fairly well!  Lately Rachael has become a little bit more affectionate with Grace, coming over and sitting in her lap or randomly giving her hugs.  Gracie will usually holler out, "Mama!  Look!" so I don't miss it.  Love them!

Things are warming up here, hope that you and your family are staying warm as well!

Florida Fall

I know some people scoff, but I think Floridians appreciate our autumn as much as anyone else. I think we might appreciate it more, considering we don't have as many leaves to rake. ;-) Anyway, today was our first day of cooler weather! Before the girls even went outside, they were asking for their sweaters! So there they are, my little Florida Girls, ready to brave the icy temperature of SEVENTY DEGREES!!!

And just over the weekend we were in tank tops and shorts at Sea World!

A couple of weeks ago, Gracie celebrated her 6th birthday. Early that week, we had a few friends over for a birthday playdate. Gracie and I worked together that afternoon to put the stage up for her friends:

The girls had a great time dressing up, and a few times the runway got some use! (It's got a sensor so that when they head out on the runway, you hear music and applause! Thanks, Papa!) One friend brought over a particular dress that Gracie tends to wear when she goes over to their house to play. We will label this "Daddy's Worst Nightmare":

Rachael found another use for the stage when the rest of the girls were back in the bedroom being different variations of princesses...

On her actual birthday, we just had family over at the house (it's so nice to be able to fit everyone!), and Gracie got to celebrate again! Publix made the cake for the gathering with friends, but since I'd bought two packages of Funfetti mix, we were able to have a cake that night as well!

Rachael loved it too!

The girls are still enjoying school, Gracie got the Student of the Week honor last week so we were proud of her for that! (Each child gets a chance to be it, but I was still pleased!) When Rachael gets to her preschool class now, she barely spares me a wave! She just puts her little bag in her cubby, and off she goes! So far, I haven't cried over this! :-) It's actually kind of fun to see her so comfortable and enjoying herself like that, and definitely better than the alternative!

The house is ALMOST done! I am hoping that when Rachael is at preschool, I can come home and tackle the office -- maybe not get it entirely done, but at least make a decent dent! We still have a few boxes that I'm ready to sort through and get rid of -- it'll be nice to not have to keep the door closed when we have company! ;-)

All in all, things are going well! Hope you're enjoying the beginning of fall where you are!

Happy Birthday, Gracie!

Six years ago, this little angel with ruby red lips and a headful of thick, dark brown hair came into the world. In a year that had brought a lot of difficult change for our family, she was a bright spot of love and laughter that we needed so much.

She's a little lady, most definitely -- 110% GIRL! She is also precious and sweet, strong-willed and kind. She has a pure, sensitive heart. She is polite, fun to be around, and we are so proud of her and so thankful she is ours.

Happy Birthday, Gracie! YOU are one of God's best gifts to us!

To Know Them Is To Love Them

May has been an eventful month, and we're not even finished yet! Mother's Day, Chris' birthday, Grace's "graduation" coming up, as well as her end of the year program at church! Busy, busy! This week at school Grace gets to have water day (wearing her swimsuit to school, she's so excited!), pizza and pajama day (and yes, I'm thinking about just bringing her to school while wearing mine, ha!), and then her graduation. WOW! Then it's June and the second week of that month brings Vacation Bible School! Amazing!

For Chris' birthday a couple of weekends ago, we went to Busch Gardens in Tampa. It just so happened that they were having their first annual Glory At The Gardens event, so we not only got to enjoy a day at the park, but we also were able to hear and see a few concerts -- including Steven Curtis Chapman and Matthew West!

Originally, the plan was that Chris and I would go on our own and leave the girls with the grandparents. However, their grandparents have busy schedules too! I'll admit that I was really looking forward to spending the day alone with Chris, but I quickly warmed up to the idea of having the girls along -- and we had such a wonderful time! We hadn't been to Busch Gardens with Rachael since she was about 2 months old, so taking her was a real treat! We were able to get up close and personal views of many of the animals this time around, and the girls loved it!

The kids' section at Busch Gardens is really great -- Rachael was able to ride all but one ride, and they didn't need an adult on anything! It totally and completely warmed my heart that they chose to ride everything together, they never split up even when it was an option!

Last year, I was intimidated by the summer months approaching -- at the time, Grace was only going to school 3 days out of the week, and I didn't know what I was going to do with both girls home! This year, I am looking forward to spending all that extra time with them! I am sure that there will be days when I will be begging to fast forward to August, but really and truly, the older they get, the more fun they are!

Grace is just growing, physically and emotionally. She seems to have a really sensitive heart, reacting strongly when she sees someone hurting. She loves to draw, and anytime she does she includes her friends and family members in her pictures and tells a story about what's going on. She never wants to keep her artwork, she always wants to give it to someone -- usually me or Chris! Grace is most often given compliments regarding her excellent manners! I'm really hoping and praying that she continues with that -- it is a blessing to be around people, especially children, with great manners!

Rachael is still quite a handful, but these days it's in a more playful, fun way than a screaming, fitful way! :-) She loves to make us laugh -- and if she gets a laugh, she'll repeat what she's done over and over again! Apparently she's something of a chatterbox, but she saves that for when Chris and I aren't around! Sure, she talks at home, but I'm told she'll talk the childcare workers' ears off at church! She's definitely getting easier to understand, and she's picking up a lot from her best teacher -- Grace! It will be so fun to see how she grows when she starts preschool in the fall! I am so excited about her teacher, I know it'll be a great year!

More to come later this week -- I'm hoping that Grace will agree to wear her little cap and gown so I can snag a picture or two! Right now she's saying that she doesn't want to wear it, she said she's afraid she won't look cute!! I told her that just wasn't possible!

Hope that your family is doing well and getting ready to enjoy a fun summer!

Mommy's Big Day

Yesterday was my birthday, so we decided to take advantage of Disney's "What Will You Celebrate?" promotion since it would be free for me. What made it even better was that we had taken Grace for her 2nd birthday, so I was happy we got to take Rachael right after her 2nd also!

Chris and I are Florida natives, so we know better than to go to a theme park when it's going to be crazy busy. We realized yesterday was a holiday, but not everyone closes on President's Day (it was rare for Chris to have the day off), so we didn't think it would be a madhouse. BOY, WERE WE WRONG! I don't think I've ever been to a theme park when it was that crowded!

As crazy as it was, though -- mishaps and all -- we still had a good time!

Rachael went on her first carousel ride, without screaming!!

Grace 's favorite part:

Aurora (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty)

Cinderella Grace's favorite princess, Belle

We also waited (and waited and waited) to meet Mickey and Minnie, and Rachael was very excited before we got up to them! Once they were at her level, though, she was so shy! Minnie even tried to play peek-a-boo with her a little bit! I think Rachael must've been a bit awestruck!

It was a long day, and I think it'll be three to five years before we try that again, but we did have a lot of fun! Seeing the girls get excited over things like that is a great gift any day!

Happy Days!

Rachael had family, pizza and cake at her birthday festivities -- what more can a 2-year-old ask for? We had one happy birthday girl! She scored some fun presents, and Papa even brought along a few for both girls, including one that I especially cannot wait to see them use! It'll have to be when they have a couple of friends over, though. They can use their new dress up clothes and either walk the runway or be rock stars -- and with how the girls have been dancing to the clock radio I put in their room, they might opt for that!

When I went in to get the girls ready on Rachael's birthday, I reminded Grace what day it was. She asked excitedly, "Can she say the ABCs now? Will we be able to understand her better?"

And actually, just today I realized how much clearer Rachael has become! She went in for her checkup today and when the nurse asked if she was saying at least 50 words, I was stumped -- am I really supposed to be counting?? Anyway, the nurse remarked that she knew what Rachael was saying when she talked. I have known what she is saying, but I figured it was because I'm around her the most! Good to know that it's clear enough for the general public (including our babysitter, who mentioned it when we got home)! She was especially coherent during her check up, even while she was screaming! And she didn't even get any shots!

Since she had such a rough time, I took her to a park before we had to go get Grace. I know all of you north of me are going to roll your eyes, but IT WAS COLD! I knew it was time to go when her nose was bright red! She had a blast though!

Now to get all philosophical (or something)... While we were at the playground, I was having so much fun with Rachael and for a moment I wished I'd brought my camera with me. Then I thought about a blog post I just read (click here). I relaxed and just watched her fearlessly tackle the slide on the bigger playground and thought about other times I was with the girls and I didn't have my camera -- and I didn't need a picture to remember. Like the time I took Grace shopping with me and we had so much fun together -- even in one store, when I was looking at purses, she would take the smaller ones and throw them over her shoulder. I'd hear, "Mommy, look!" and there she would be, strutting down the aisle with some crazy handbag at her side. I smile every time I think about that, even without photographic evidence! :-)

The post also talked about handing over the camera to actually be in the pictures. I hope that more moms (and shutterbug dads as well) will do that -- one day their kids are going to want pictures of their parents, they're going to want pictures of themselves with their parents. So thank you, Kim (and I guess John Mayer), for those thoughts!

TWO-morrow!

It was almost two years ago that I was curling up on the bed, on the couch, on the floor, telling myself that I was just overreacting and it was yet another false alarm. After about two hours of it not letting up, I figured we might want to just go ahead and get to the hospital. I also wondered how strong my resolve to not have any pain meds would be when I got there. It ended up that Rachael answered that question for me -- I was 8 cm when they checked me, and Rachael was well on her way out! After maybe 20 minutes of pushing, there she was!

God uses children in wonderful ways. Grace showed me many, many things I had to work on! God used Rachael to show me how to rely on Him through trials. As she seemed to have one something after another, I always felt a peace knowing that He was in control. Even as heartbreaking as watching her struggle with different things has been, there's been that peace that passes understanding, knowing that He has a reason for everything.

Rachael is our little comedienne. If she does something to entertain and gets a positive reaction, she will do it again and again, loving the spotlight! I think she's going to be my buddy when she's old enough to ride roller coasters -- she seems to have no fear! She is very particular about the things that she wants and doesn't want. She is independent in many ways, but still shows us that she needs us by giving the childcare workers grief when we leave her on Sunday mornings!

She has the best smile -- one friend said very early on that Rachael just looked mischievous, and that about sums her up! It's adorable when she walks out of a room and casts a glance over her shoulder back at us, giving us a sly smile and a look that says, "Don't you wish you knew what I was up to?"

Grace seemed to come out a toddler, walking and talking early, seeming like a miniature adult before we could blink our eyes! Rachael has been our baby girl, but even still, she's growing up so fast! But just like her sister, the older she gets, the more fun it is! Watching her little personality grow is exciting -- even when it just seems to be getting stronger as each day goes by!!

Right now my favorite thing has to be when she offers us 'mooches -- smooches! She picked up that word from Daddy and it is so precious when she offers them to us! Almost as good as her 'ugs!

So Happy Birthday to our Rachael tomorrow! There will be a slideshow up soon, a picture for each month -- it's amazing how she has changed!