- Good morning!
- It is now around 7:40am on this gray Saturday and our household has been stirring for about an hour and a half. {{{YAWN}}} When do kids learn to sleep late anyway?! 😉
- I am happy to report that Mariana is doing very well. She is of great spirit and has regained I’d say about 80% of her energy. She’s a touch grouchy, but that’s understandable, of course. She slept well last night and is feeling pretty good this morning. We are so grateful for her progress! I also have to do a little mama bragging because she is still rocking the house with her potty-training even after surgery!
- Macey and I had a fun little outing last evening. After we ate our delish dinner from Amy C and her family, Macey and I headed out to Target. (Looooooove that place!) We had to get a couple of birthday gifts for some of the girls’ friends and a few other odds/ends. Macey and I had a lot of fun shopping together. She was so cute picking out a birthday gift for the party she is going to later today. It was fun to get out with my big girl.
- Mickey is hoping to go out and run this morning. We’re supposed to get more rain today and possibly storms, so we’ll see if he’s actually able to get in the eight mile run he’s hoping for today. He is one of those that I call “crazy runner people” because he will run if it’s cold, raining, etc. But, he just can’t go out if it’s storming. So far this year he has logged over 100 running miles. How about THAT?! That is post shin surgery in September to correct compartment syndrome in both of his shins.
- I am hoping to do some clothes shopping today. I really need some new threads. Hopefully I can find some good deals. Basically when I shop it’s “No Deals = NO GO”, so I’m really hoping for the deals today.
- Well, I should wrap it up. Miss Mariana just came in looking for Mama Snuggles. That’s my clue to sign off for now.
- Happy weekend!
Family
A Rainy Day in Georgia…
Check this out – it’s our current weather radar:
Looks like we’re in for some unpredictable, but WET, weather today. We really need the rain (always!), but hopefully it won’t get too bad as far as storms. We’ll see. It’s actually supposed to rain through Saturday, I believe. Maybe it’s time I invested in some rain boots, huh? 😉
In other news, we are set for Mariana’s surgery tomorrow. She can’t have anything to eat after midnight tonight (so, really, after bedtime at 7pm) and can have only clear liquids until 7am tomorrow. This is a child that really enjoys her breakfast, so the no-eating part really worries me. I hope she isn’t too cranky about it all. We have to arrive at the surgery center at 8:30 for her 10am procedure. Her ENT tends to run ahead of schedule, so hopefully that will be the case tomorrow. I have spoken to and emailed with a few moms whose children have had this same procedure and they all assure me that the recovery isn’t much more than it is with “just” tubes. So, we pray that is the case for Mariana. She handled her last ear tube surgery like such a champ. Maybe she’ll sail through this one too. Kids are so resilient and maybe she’ll pop back quickly. I’m just ready for it to be done and for us to be on the other side with her feeling SO much better. Prayers for our girl are very much appreciated.
I have just started receiving the Proverbs 31 Daily Devotion via email and I am loving it! I highly recommend signing up for it!!
We are finally finished with the photos I took at the wedding reception over the weekend. I really hope the family is happy with what I captured for them. I am taking them CDs with all the images I edited for them. And, Mickey graciously created a photo montage DVD which shows highlights from the day set to music. I am excited and hope they like all the photos and the DVD!
SHOUT OUT TIME! I have to give shout-outs to some friends that have told me they are reading my blog regularly. (If you post and let me know you’re a regular reader, I’ll give more shout-outs.) So, this is a big HEY and THANKS to Cheryl M, Heather W, Mary C and Renee W!
Have a great day,
Kelly
Our Recent Happenings…
Before I post about what is going on in our family lately, I am once again going to point readers over to MckMama’s blog called My Charming Kids. Sweet baby Stellan (aka MckMuffin) is still in need of prayer. So is his family. Please lift up this precious baby boy and those that love him.
In news from my home front…
- As I mentioned previously, my friend Dana and I went to see Kate Gosselin speak on Friday. I had so much fun hanging out with Dana and getting to just talk, share, laugh, etc. That was great! I thought Kate was good. She spoke for about an hour and most of it was about her struggles to get pregnant, their decision not to selectively abort any of their multiple babies in utero and how they handle things at home. So, that was very informative and uplifting, of course. I was just a little disappointed because I had hoped she would speak some about Proverbs 31 Ministries because she sometimes does speaking engagements through them from what I understand. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable evening out with a friend and I’m so glad that Dana and I got to go.
- On Saturday afternoon I got to photograph a wedding reception. I had so much fun! It was “work”, sure, but it was quite a great time. I am almost done with the final edits of the photos. Mickey and I are also working on a photo montage video for them. I am so hopeful that they like the photos I got for them.
- We went to church on Sunday. We have been trying to go at 9:30, but this Sunday it just worked out better to go to the 11:00 service. I’m so glad we were at that service because not only did we get to see our friends Jessie & Carly (who we LOVE), but the message was incredible! Jody preached on the Acts church and how that is what we should strive to be. Church isn’t about meeting in a building once a week. Church should be about what we do every day. How we live. How we reflect Christ in our lives so that others see and want to know what He means to us. It’s a lot to take in, but wouldn’t that be an awesome way to really live?!
- Yesterday Mickey and I went to Macey’s school for lunch. We thought it was a special lunch for her “Character Education” award. But, no. I had the date wrong. That lunch is NEXT Monday. So, we just got to have a nice meal with Macey for no particular reason other than just because. And, hey, just because is always good enough. 🙂 I hope I will get to go to the lunch next Monday, but I have jury duty beginning that day, so it’s anyone’s guess as to what time I’ll be done.
- This morning I am taking Mariana to the ENT for her pre-op visit. On Friday she is having her ear tubes replaced and her adenoids removed. We hope this will help solve the continuing issues that plague her so often. Prayers, of course, are much appreciated.
Guess that’s it for now. Hope everyone has a beautiful day. Please keep praying for Stellan!!
In Christ,
Kelly
Happy Friday!
I woke up in a groggy state around 5:30 this morning. It wasn’t yet time to get up, but somehow I woke up just enough to wonder what day it was. I had to think about it because I had no idea. Somwhere in my sleepy haze, it came to me that today is Friday and that just gave me the happies. I caught another hour of sleep all happy that it’s FRIDAY!! Friday means that our weekend is about to start. And, this Friday means that Dana and I are going to see Kate Gosselin speak and we are SO excited about that. So WOO HOO…it’s Friday!! 😀
In other happy news, I have some more praises to post. This time about Miss Macey. When she came home yesterday, she was as happy as could be after school. She had been named “Character Education” winner for this month AND she brought home a great report card! Character Ed is an award her school gives to one child per classroom who exemplifies the attributes of the key character word of the current term. Macey’s character word is “commitment.” She is SO happy and so proud of herself for this award. Needless to say, we are very proud too! We sent in a 4×6 picture of Macey for the “Character Wall” at school. She also had her name read on the morning announcements yesterday and she will be in a group photo for the school newsletter. Also, we get to go and have lunch with her on Monday. We actually have the opportunity to eat lunch at school whenever we like, but this time it’s super special because we get to sit in a special area and have a special dessert. So exciting!! Macey’s report card was great too. She is just excelling in Kindergarten and absolutely loves it!
Mariana is watching her new Boz DVD (BOZs and 1-2-3s) right now. She got it as a reward for her potty training successes. She absolutely LOVES Boz! Both girls have loved him, but Macey is sort of hit or miss on it right now since she’s older and, thus, more sophisticated dontcha know?! 😉 Anyway. This new Boz DVD is a hit for Mariana. She asks for it every morning. So cute!!
Today is the 40th Anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar being published. We love that book. Actually, we haven’t “met” an Eric Carle book we don’t enjoy. If you haven’t seen Google today, check it out. Their letters are shapes from the book. Very cool!! Here it is: 
I hope everyone has a GREAT day today! Enjoy this Friday! And, hope everyone has a wonderful weekend too!!
Blessings,
Kelly
Praise the Lord!
How many times do we say “Praise the Lord” and never really think THAT much about the phrase itself? I know I’m guilty of it from time to time. There’s a parking spot near the door at Target? Praise the Lord. We already got Macey signed up for summer dance camp? Praise the Lord. Mickey gets to come home early today? Praise the Lord. If I don’t say it out loud, I still think it many times a day. But, do I really praise Him? Or, am I repeating a phrase I’m used to repeating? Makes me stop and think, really. I should give pause and actually give Him the praise. God is the fount of all good things. Why am I not praising Him more? That is the question.
Today’s post is actually inspired by another Kelly who blogs over at Kelly’s Korner. (BTW, if you get a chance to check out her blog – please do. It’s a great one!) Yesterday she posted an entry called Let’s Give Him Some Praise and that really got me thinking. As Kelly mentioned, it seems like you don’t have to look far to see sadness, struggle, adversity and trials going on in people’s lives. It would be so easy sometimes to get bogged down in the negative and forget all the positives God has laid out for us. But, His perfect provision is everywhere. Even in the things we take for granted like running water, homes that are heated and cooled via climate control, food on our table, clothes to wear, etc. God’s goodness can be found in everything from the tiniest detail to the most amazing miracle we’ve ever seen or heard. So, today I am going to list some praises. By no means is this list complete, but it’s a start at least. And, it’s also a reminder to me to praise Him more. Because He deserves all our praise, really.
PRAISE: I am married to a strong Christian man who loves and values his family beyond words. Mickey is the kind of husband who makes me feel beautiful because of his love. He cherishes me and I feel that every day. He also loves our girls so much and is an amazing daddy to them.
PRAISE: We both come from loving families that are always there for us. We don’t live all that close to any given member of our family, but we know in our hearts that if we ever needed family, someone would be here as soon as they could get here.
PRAISE: We are blessed to have two beautiful, sweet, caring and incredible little girls. They are healthy, smart, strong and full of life & love.
PRAISE: We have a place to call home. Our house may not be the biggest, fanciest, best decorated or even the tidiest there ever was, but it’s home and we are grateful for that. We love our home. We feel so blessed to finally have a house that we can envision our family in for years to come.
PRAISE: Our church is home to us. It’s not just a place to go on Sunday mornings. Mickey goes there to work and enjoys it tremendously. Mariana attends preschool at our church. I volunteer. Both girls enjoy Sunday School and are already looking forward to VBS. Our church family has surrounded us with love and friendship that we value so much. It’s a blessing to be there every time we walk through the doors.
PRAISE: We have some really great friends. Some we’ve known for years, some we’ve met recently and some that we even met online. Such relationships bless our hearts and lives tremendously.
PRAISE: It’s spring and that is such a time of renewal and hope. When the weather warms up, we can get outside and enjoy. Soak up the warm rays of sunshine and have a ball. It’s a great time of year!
PRAISE: I am extremely blessed to get to be home with our girls. It’s a dream come true for me. I am so grateful and need to always remember to be thankful.
PRAISE: I get to enjoy some of my very favorite things like warm chocolate chip cookies, morning coffee made by Mickey, an occasional pedicure, date nights with Mickey, strawberry limeades with extra strawberries from Sonic (whenever we are near one), Chic-fil-A biscuits, shopping, baking cookies for others just because I know they like them, receiving email and occasionally a card in the mailbox, listening to good music and singing along in the security of the van, read great books, have friends over to hang out with us, grill out, watch my favorite tv shows via TIVO so I can skip commercials, dream of being on the Amazing Race with Mickey, jump on the trampoline with the girls, shop, buy pretty things for the girls, catch up with friends on Facebook (now on hold ’til Easter since it’s Lent) and so much more!
PRAISE: Mariana is doing so well with potty-training. I’m telling everyone, this is a PRAISE!! We’re almost a diaper free household. That is sort of bittersweet, but mostly pretty exciting!
PRAISE: I have opportunities to practice my photography which I really enjoy. I’m super excited to have a chance to shoot a wedding reception this weekend. Then I get to shoot the wedding of some of our very good friends in May. Such a joy!
PRAISE: Macey is reading all the time and loving it! Can’t help but hope both girls will be book worms like me.
PRAISE: Several of our friends are expecting babies. We are so excited for them!
PRAISE: My friend Dana and I are going to see Kate Gosselin speak on Friday. I am SO excited about this!!
My life is so full of blessings. Our family is blessed beyond measure. PRAISE THE LORD!! There have been times when I have been guilty of not seeing these blessings and neglecting to be thankful for what I did have in the face of what I felt I didn’t have. I should be faithful enough to praise God EVERY day because every day is a blessing. Even though there will be struggles and trials in this life, the hope of my heart would be that I would be found to be faithful in the midst of it all.
Blessings,
Kelly
