Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Wordless Wednesday


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Trike A Thon: 2012

The April Service Project at Jackson's school was participating in the St. Jude Children's Hospital Trike a Thon.  Jackson collected donations, and then rode his tricycle this morning in the parking lot at his school.  They also took this opportunity to discuss bicycle safety.  Jackson wanted to ride his trike "Rookie," even though his legs are a bit long for it now. Jackson raised $100 dollars for St. Jude and rode his little heart out this morning with his friends. 

Jackson and Rookie
Moonbeams Class Lining UP
On your mark....Get set.....Jackson "may" have yelled "Get 'er Done" when it was time to start.

All the trikes.
I am thankful that Jackson got to help other children this morning.  


While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

Monday, April 23, 2012

Sunday Snapshots: Blake looks like Drew Carey Edition



Connie read this yesterday, and it blessed me! 

Psalm 91

 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 They say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
   my God, in whom I trust.”
 3 Surely he will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.
 9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
 14 “Because they love me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue them;
   I will protect them, for they acknowledge my name.
15 They will call on me, and I will answer them;
   I will be with them in trouble,
   I will deliver them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them
   and show them my salvation.” 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

18 Months Old and Check Up

Sweet sister was 18 months old on April 14. A whole year and a half! Love, love, love her.

Notes on our favorite girl:

She weighs 21 pounds, 11 ounces (10th percentile). I don't remember her length, but it was in the whopping 5th percentile. She wears a 4 in a shoe, and a size 4 diaper.

She is getting lots of hair. It is dark brown and curly, and looks adorable in pig tails. I am going to have to get her bangs trimmed soon, they are in her eyes. She still loves her bows, and wears them all day long.

Her appetite has been better this month. She likes the following things..not all at the same meal!
Breakfast: pancakes (her favorite), yogurt and fruit, cheese toast, oatmeal.
Lunch: pasta, rice, sweet potato, grilled cheese, cheese stick, baby food bananas, applesauce, raisins, grilled chicken
Dinner: She mostly eats what we eat. Her favorite is pizza. She asks for it once a day, at least.

Sleeping: She goes to bed about 7:00 and wakes up about 7:00 the next morning. She is napping from about 12-3 now. Dream baby! :)

She is talking so much. Some of the sweetest things she says now are bless you, excuse me, I want my bubby, I go outside, and she says "I tooted." Can you tell she has a big brother?

Her favorite things are being outside, playing with her babies, Little People, blocks, and has recently discovered Elmo. She loves to write (scribble), and sing her ABCs.

We had her 18 month appointment on Tuesday. She is doing great, and looks super healthy. She has not had an ear infection since November. Yay!! She got one shot, and told the nurse she needed a band aid. She got a kick out of that.

Most babies are walking (and perhaps running) by 18 months, and Claire is not walking, yet. She will take a few steps, but that is about it. She is pushing toys around around now, which is progress. But, her gross motor skills are delayed. So, Dr. Wiley referred her to a physical therapist at Children's Hospital to see what they can do to help Miss Claire. I am waiting to hear back from them to see when we go. I told Blake that this would make for a great story when she wins a gold medal for the US Women's Gymnastics Team. And if anyone at the mall playground or other random strangers make rude comments, ask what is wrong with her, ask what my pediatrician thinks about her not walking, say she is lazy, or that she has been held too much, they might get this mama bears wrath. All of these things have actually happened! Can ya'll believe that?

In all seriousness, we are so very thankful for our sweet, wonderful, and amazing daughter. She is such a gift to us all, and she is so very loved. We are to blessed to have our little Madeline Claire. I finally ordered the pictures from her Birth Day last week, and I just can't believe how fast she is growing up. It feels like she has always been with us. She is such an amazing and perfect gift. I love every single thing about her!

Chattanooga Marathon



































Last weekend my family from Alabama came up for a visit, and to come to my dad's retirement reception last Sunday. On Friday, Jackson and Blake met everyone at Sticky Fingers for dinner, and Cold Stone for dessert. I stayed home with Claire (thank you hand. foot, and mouth funk). On Saturday, Blake went with all the guys to play golf, and all the girls took the kiddos downtown. We went to the Aquarium, water play area, Mellow Mushroom, and then the Creative Discovery Museum. It was a super fun day, but I do believe we wore the children out.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Week in Review from My Phone: Random

Sunday, Claire and I served in the nursery during church. We had one sweet baby boy, and Claire kept trying to steal his pacifier.

And Monday, this little girl woke up with a low grade fever, and not feeling too hot.


I cleaned out our coat closet. My husband owns enough coats and outerwear to keep a small Eskimo village warm.




On Tuesday, I tackled Jack's closet, and went through his baby box. I will never, ever get rid of these shoes. Ever. He is growing up so fast. I love the boy he is becoming, but it seems hard to believe that is four.



You better believe I was proud of this organized labeled goodness. It had gotten out of control. Again.




Although she looks happy, this girl started that fever mess on Monday, and was still running a 103 temperature on Thursday, so I caved and took her to the doctor. Guess what? Fever virus. Every time I take them, they have a virus. Every time I wait it out, I wait too long, and they have strep, ear infections, flu, or some other funk, and I feel like a neglectful mother. (Not really, but it makes me feel a bit inadequate).



We quarantined Claire to the stroller Thursday night, and took our winning gift card from Saturday to Get. Out. Of. This. House.




I love this man!!















Jackson is doing sooo well at Tumbling.




Monday night recap: This really happened the other night, and I guess I don't want to forget. Blake and I went to bed about 11:00. Claire was up at midnight. The dog puked at 1:00. At 2:00, I got up to use the restroom, and I turned on the lightswitch, and it illuminated, and then our bathroom lights went out. Blake had to investigate and turned the power supply off to our bedroom and bathroom. He did fix this Tuesday night, and was successful. Yay, Mr. Handyman. We needed some new parts. Not sure what, but it is all better. At 2:30, Claire was awake again. At 3:30, the dog puked again. And Claire was back up at 4:00, and 6:00. The dog puked again at 6:30. And Blake showered and got ready for work in the dark. Blake and I absolutely cracked up when the alarm went off, and agreed that was probably the worst night of sleep. Ever.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Easter 2012
















Mommy: Jackson, why do we celebrate Easter?
Jackson: Because it is when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. People do bad stuff, and God forgives them. And we get to go to Heaven.





He was pierced for our transgressions
He was crushed for our sins
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed

We are healed by Your sacrifice
And the life that You gave
We are healed for You paid the price
By Your grace we are saved
We are saved

Mac Powell
By His Wounds lyrics