Laney Hope

Before i get into telling about our fun Laney Hope, I have to exonerate Ashlyn. After I posted about her stomach issues and not wanting to go to school earlier last Friday, the girl did end up having a stomach bug and threw up Friday night....it has since been passed to both her sisters but was quick-lived for all 3.

Now onto Laney. I know I have shared before but she is just a people magnet...and she doesn't seek any of it out. People are just naturally attracted to her; people of all ages. They have been since she was itty-bitty. I can't wait to see how the Lord uses this.

Laney uses fun words like pupcake for cupcake. Yesterday after she got her haircut at Sweet and Sassy's the gal gave her a fake tattoo. As soon as Jason came home she began telling him about her catoo. She has quite a few of these

Laney-isms. She normally says mouse instead of mouth, but when you stop her and point to your own mouth and ask her what it is she always says mouth. Before we get completely removed from the hair story let me share...Laney has phenomenal hair. It looks great short, long, up or down. It looks just as good when she wakes up in the morning as it did before she slept hours on it. If you can't tell, her mother is quite jealous.

Learning her letters is not her top priority but she gets very excited when she sees an L. She can actually write out most of her name although usually skips over the e because it's kind of hard for her. Because people are so attracted to her you would think she was extremely extroverted and adventurous, but honestly, she isn't. She is quite shy when it comes to trying newer things or being in front of people. Still, it kind of throws me off when she decides not to do something Ashlyn runs to do. However, this month she did ride a big horse by herself. I will try to show a picture of this later. I'm having trouble getting it to open now.

Laney Hope is sweet but she won't let you run over her. She is a ton of fun and her laugh lifts your spirit no matter what kind of mood you are in. She is a great big sister, as well as a great little sister. She can get whiny but normally it is short-lived. She is a snuggle bug and loves to be right up next to you, if at all possible. I can't imagine our lives without her. Laney Hope, we love you, love you, love you!

One of those days

Today has definitely been a day and it's only 1 o'clock. It started when I came out in the morning and Ashlyn was already up watching cartoons. When she saw me, guess what wonder she told me? Yuppers, her stomach hurt. I don't know what the deal is. But it took her over 20 minutes just to get dressed and there were many tears and cries of exasperation. I almost had to have her get in the car without having her teeth and hair brushed...that would have been a nice treat for her classmates.

Came back home and had about an hour of everything being calm again before I decided to take a shower. I usually take it at night so I don't have to even think about people being in the bathroom with me or have Reese cry for me. And i am right in thinking this way. Reese cried pitifully for the entire time I was in the shower...SOBBED actually.

We then tried to venture to Target where I grocery shop. Laney always has to go to the bathroom while we are there. However, she had gone 15 minutes before we left so I didn't think it necessary to have her go again. We got halfway through to the very back of the store when, of course, she had to tee tee again. I promise you that it only happens when we get to the very back of the store (any store designer reading this...any mom on the planet would be thrilled to have a bathroom in the front and the back). Up we go. After this she decided then to whine and cry the entire rest of the time. I said no to her plead for goldfish and even put back the fruitsnacks she had asked for. Truly, it was a lovely scene. It's not like she threw a tantrum or was even yelling, just 110% whiney and crying. One check-out woman told me I was a strong mom. The other asked if I was a teacher? I hope these were compliments, and not them hoping I would just give her the stinkin' goldfish so she'd put an end to the wambulance. It is so much easier to give in, especially to Laney. She is obnoxiously persistant.

Came home, fed the girls and put Reese down for a nap. I told Laney she had to have quiet time in her room. It was a nice 1/2 hour where I could eat my own lunch and watch Family Fued. She has since come out several times and is now crying in my room.

Ah, the joys of motherhood. Thankfully, this is not a normal occurance. Still, I'm ready for my own nap.

Ashlyn Jean

Well, we woke up this morning and once again Ashlyn's stomach hurt. I have to say I think she has a pretty sensitive stomach but it is interesting that it hurts more in the morning when it's time to go to school. I've told you before but she is her mother's daughter. She likes school a lot. She has good friends there. She does exceptional at her schoolwork, and yet, if given the opportunity, home sounds better. I let her stay home for an hour to make sure she was okay and then off she went. This first picture is her working on her Flat Stanley project for school. She sent Flat Stanley to Gampa and he took
Flat Stanley around PA to some historical sites, etc. Then Flat Stanley got passed to Aunt Nancy who took him to VA. Thanks Gampa and Aunt Nancy...y'all rock!

While my girl is content to stay at home she isn't lacking in personality. She is very creative and a ton of fun. She likes to be indoors but really enjoys being outside too. We're going to give t-ball a go this spring. When we talked about whether she wanted to do it or not she turned and asked, "Well, will I be good at
it?"

While like me in many ways, she definitely is more outgoing than her daddy and I were at her age. And she has an adventurous side to her. When we were watching the Amazing Race the other night they had a road block where they had to bungee jump in New Zealand (it was the second highest in the world and quite frankly looked TERRIFYING)...she looked at Jason and said she would like to do that one day!
It is a pretty regular occurance to catch her dancing and watching herself in the mirror or lip-syncing some song...although
if you are caught watching her, the show stops!

The last picture is of her getting awards at school...first, all A honor roll. Secondly, she earned the faithfulness award. Her school is participating in Kids With Character and she was nominated faithful. I think that perfectly captures my first-born. She is amazingly kind and faithful. She is steady and true. It is one of the things I love most about her. I think it is because it is such a reflection of her heavenly Father and is one of the things I love most about Him.

Again, so sorry on my inability to get this thing to space right. I'll be back with more on Laney and Reese soon.

Anniversary Part II

Jase and I had a lovely weekend getaway this past weekend. Many thanks are deserved by others in order to make it happen...David and Melody came in to watch the girls (I have great in-laws). My Dad had given us a giftcard last year for our anniversary that we weren't able to use last year so we put it to good use this year at the Dallas Renaissance Hotel. Plus, a church member is the General Manager there and bumped us up to a suite and gave us his friends and family discount. Plus, when we checked in they let us know that breakfast was on the house and there was a yummy fruit and cheese tray waiting for us too (thank you Tim and Christi Sullivan). Plus, MomMom and again my Dad gave us some money for this year's anniversary. Thank you everyone!

We started by going to the Keg which is our favorite restuarant in town. They had sent a postcard out for two steak dinners for $30. Yoo hoo! Love that place! And loved the company! Then we headed to the Renaissance. We slept in a little, had breakfast and enjoyed cable TV. Is it bad that for a week leading up to the weekend I was truly excited to be able to watch HGTV and other channels?

On Saturday we headed over to Ft. Worth. We truly love Ft. Worth. It just has a downhome feel that relaxes us. We stayed at the Texas Whitehouse Bed and Breakfast that we were treated to this past summer. A few weeks earlier the owner, Grover, had called to say the room we had booked was actually wanted by someone else and that for the same price he was giving us one of their suites. It was so marvelous. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Ft. Worth. When I came in there was a beautiful flower arrangment of tulips (my favorite) from my favorite :0). We relaxed and watched more cable TV before heading to Joe T's for Mexican food out on their beautiful patio. Then we went to see a movie...Mall Cop (sidenote to anyone interested~ wait til it comes out on DVD). It will probably be the last movie in a theatre we see for a year (do I hear some Amens of confirmation from other parents?). Afterwards we headed back to the B&B to just relax. Sunday morning we woke up and they brought us breakfast to our room and then we headed home to the girlies. It was a great weekend.

For those keeping track, Jase was not the only one with a gift. I suprised him while he was out of town the week before on business. I had 10 youth, a youth leader, and my friend Dylan (the sr. high youth minister I work with) come move everything out of the garage. They scrubbed the garage floor, painted the walls, painted the garage floor this fancy way that Jason wanted, and moved some shelves. All of this happened during the week of our freezing cold weather and sleet. I parked outside and had my car doors completely frozen shut and was hustling 3 cold girls in and out and had a huge tarp over our patio which looked like someone's backyard in the middle of hicktown Arkansas (sorry D & M). He was completely surprised and it was superb! Thanks to everyone who helped with that too.

So, that's our Anniversary in a nutshell. I promise to post pics of the girls and an update on them ASAP.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Ten years ago tomorrow I married my best friend. It's not just a saying for us. It's truth. Jason and I have been best friends since I was 12 and he was 14. He knew me before I had boobs, and crud he probably weighed a buck over 100 lbs at the time.

I remember my wedding day like yesterday. My bridesmaids had spent the night at my apartment. Even though it was the day I had dreamed about forever, I still had trouble getting myself out of bed. I've told you mornings are tough for me. We went to a lovely bridal breakfast hosted by a sweet woman at my church. From there my precious mom and I went to have my hair done. For some reason we had to stop at the hotel before heading to the church and as mom was getting out of the car she saw Jase and told me to duck down. Here I am complete with veil in place, ducked down in the car giggling.

Some of the moments I cherished most were: my bridesmaids and mom praying over me before the wedding started. For some reason taking a picture with my "little" brother was emotional for me. I started crying three times before the photographer could get a shot where tears weren't streaming down my face (if you can't tell, Andy means a lot to me). I'll never forget taking Daddy's arm and being completely overwhelmed when the doors of the church opened. I was the junior high pastor at First Baptist Katy so we had invited the church on top of our close friends and family. I had no idea there would be so many people. I couldn't see a single thing and literally almost lost it. I was on the verge of completely sobbing...you know, the kind where your entire body heaves, snot is running uncontrollably down your nose and you make horrible wailing sounds...yup, if I hadn't somehow managed to have a teensy bit of focus to see my best friend, Rachel at the end of the aisle smiling hugely at me and reminding me to take a breath...it wouldn't have been pretty. I loved our unity candle time because we had my mom and dad and Jason's mom and dad come pray over us. Our wedding reception was a blast (seriously people stayed for hours after we left and danced the night away).

I remember being nervous right before Jason kissed me, as well as right before our first dance. They were things I had wanted to practice and had forgotten. I remember changing into my going-away outfit and all of the sudden getting nervous that I was getting set to go do something I had never done before (if you know what I mean) and the kind words of my friend and bridesmaid, Sam, who had gotten married a few months prior. I still smile when I think that once we left the reception Jason looked at me and said we needed to stop by his house because he had some things in the dryer he needed to grab for our honeymoon. That's right...we stopped by his house so he could finish packing! I'm telling you, he is about as laid-back as they come. And in my own fashion I had given my brother keys to my car and didn't remember until morning that they had my drivers license connected to it. My dad had to come down and give me my license so we could leave on our honeymoon. There is a picture of us dancing at the reception that captures the day for me. I love the way Jason is just looking at me. It is one of the best days of my life.

Marriage has been a beautiful journey, but don't get me wrong...it has been very difficult at times. While the things that are most important to Jase and I are the same, and while our hopes and dreams always end at the same place.... the way we think and actually go about getting to that final destination is almost ALWAYs exactly opposite. Sometimes it causes a good laugh and sometimes it causes utter frustration. We have gone through moves, job changes, job loss, my mom's terminal illness, my mom's death, having three precious children, having a child going through open heart surgery. And there isn't anyone else I would rather walk the road with~ the highs and the lows.

There isn't another person who knows me better. And he has loved me well. I can tell you that there has not been one single time he has ever said a negative thing about my appearance or body. He makes me laugh. He is a faithful friend, a true gentleman, a wonderful provider, and an exceptional dad.

When I was fourteen I wrote a note to Jase. It told him I thought God had revealed to me that Jason would be my husband. I gave it to him soon after we got engaged. If you know our story, you know I waited a long time...even if I was only 22 when we got married. Babe, you were worth the wait. I love you!