Dressed by Daddy

Even though I ended up staying home this weekend, I'm trying to let Kevin be in charge. I napped this morning (since I was up at 4am) and he took the girls to swimming lessons. When he came home, I saw how Kayleigh was dressed.

So I asked if Kay picked her outfit out...nope

So then I asked if he realized it didn't match...yep, but he was in a hurry!

Does it really take that much extra time to pick the sweatshirt that matches the pants? Especially since they were in the same pile?

Disappointment

I am supposed to be landing in Ohio right now...instead I am sitting here at home. You see, this weekend was my first leadership retreat for Compassion. I have taken on a new role with them and am now an Area Coordinator. This means I have a team of advocates under me whom I pray for, encourage, support, etc. I have been wanting to get more involved in Compassion and this new role was a natural step for me. I was so excited to go to this retreat, meet other advocates for Compassion and get some training.

But it snowed again.

I woke up at 4 am to make it to the airport for my 6 flight. By God's grace I got there safely - driving 35 minutes through a blizzard is NOT fun! They checked us in, got us through security and didn't say a peep until our flight was to take off. We were delayed. After an hour of being delayed they canceled the flight.

Because it's also spring break for the university, there are NO seats on ANY flights out of here until Tuesday. And so I got a refund and drove home.

Syd was sad I was home because she and daddy had planned a campout in the living room. Kay was thrilled and said "I love you mama. You are the best mama in the whole wide world".

Although I'm disappointed not to be at my retreat, it's good to be home.

Africa needs God...

I'm telling you people...the posts over at Compassion's blog are so good. I love the variety they give us. But today's most recent post is really good. Please take a moment to go over there, and read it because it is a great testimony to what God is doing. Go on over and see why even an atheist would say that Africa needs God.

Another Baby

My step-brother and his wife have welcomed their first child....daughter Sofia Izabella was born yesterday (in Texas)! Another granddaughter for my mom and Keith to dote on!!

Now THAT'S A NOODLE NECKLACE!

We went to a play date today at a local church and made noodle necklaces...so much more colorful that what I attempted last week!!!

Snow

We drive by this house almost every day and I just really noticed it today....it gives you a better perspective of just how much snow some of us have.

Here's the walkway to my front door...not quite as dramatic, but still pretty big. And we have shoveled the snow banks a couple times!

Making Cookies

Come Passion

I was going to post this great video clip on my blog, but it's easier if I just send you over...
Compassion's Blog

And while you're over there, you can see if you know the answer to today's poverty question.

What's in Your Bag/Purse?

The fact that I'm doing this post means one of two things....I either have way too much time on my hands and am bored OR I have so much to do, I will do anything to procrastinate! Believe me...it's the latter!

Ok...so a couple of my Bible study gal friends (Jess, Abbie and Gin) have done this and it's interesting to see what other people carry around.

My dear friend, Claire, who lives in France sent me this awesome backpack. It's been the perfect transition from diaper bag!!! I often have purse envy when I see all these other cool, hip women carrying around fashionable purses...but practicality wins out in this department. I love have two hands free to keep hold of my little ladies. My mom did buy me a cool new purse that's red....I'll have to give that a try soon. I do get quite a few compliments on my backpack, though.

Contents of my bag include:
1 or 2 diapers
wipes and Wet Ones (because you can't have too many!)
checkbook
wallet (this is new and from my mom...I was hesitant to try it out, but I love it!)
my little Vera Bradley thing that holds my cross country ski pass and some pics of my girls
Swiss Army Knife (I think there was something in my marriage vows about always having this handy!)
Pepper spray (thanks to my father-in-law)
lotion
lipstick
Epi Pen
gum
hair bow for Kayleigh
purple pen
camera
cell phone

So what's so important to you that you carry it with you wherever you go? If nothing else, it will force you to clean out all the junk!!

Bathroom Re-Model

Finally I have gotten my painting supplies back out and I'm tackling the second floor of our house! I started with the girls' bathroom. I found this cool color and even thought it's a bit odd and bold, I decided to just go for it!

Here are some before pics...


And some after pics....

After choosing the color and painting, I tried to find one or two things to spruce it up decoration wise....I found this great bath mat at Target and new it was perfect. I'm not much for a theme - I like the eclectic look. So we are using our old towels.

Sydney loves it and tells me she loves it every time she goes in the bathroom. She says, "I like how you painted this mommy. Thank you for doing it. I like the color."

Next I have to tackle the hallway and staircase....

Snow Hike

Kevin and Sydney went for a snow hike this weekend...

Poverty Questions

Compassion's blog is posting questions about poverty...go over there and see if you know the answers. This first one blew me away!!!!

Looking ahead...

THIS is very cool and wonderful advice....first click HERE so you know what I'm talking about!!

In everything we do, we need to look at our long-term goals!

I want to raise my girls to be responsible, sensitive adults...and so I must parent them a certain way now to achieve that.

I want my violin students to play beautifully and to the best of their ability...and so I must teach them a certain way now to achieve that.

Same thing with changing lives....I want to make a difference and so I sponsor children who are living in poverty.

Are you going to plant rice, plant a tree or develop a child?
Sponsor a child today.

UP 200

Last night was a big night in Marquette...the beginning of the UP 200. Dog lovers will especially find this post fun. The UP 200 is a big sled-dog racing event, so we went to the kickoff. The crowd was much bigger than a I expected...I guess there is usually around 6,000 spectators! The close down the main street in the downtown area and bring in snow to create a track. Good thing we got a foot of snow this week, otherwise we might not have had enough!! (do you sense the sarcasm in there?)

Here is one dog waiting for the race to begin.

Here's a shot of the crowd

This is what Syd and Kay did while waiting for the race to begin.



And here are some pictures of the race. It was hard to capture what we saw and our camera was acting funny....so some are blurry, but I actually think those are cool!

Happy Friday

We were driving past the lake today while running some errands and I saw some really cool ice formations...had to stop and get some pictures. It's such a clear, sunny day here today...but that also means colder temperatures. At least it's not snowing anymore (we got somewhere between 12-18 inches this week!)




I went back to my blog archives to see when I first posted the real snow pictures... November 15th. Ladies and gentlemen...that means we have not seen our grass in over 4 months. And with the several feet of snow on the ground, with more to come I'm sure, we will not likely see the grass for at least another month - and that's pushing it!

Random Pictures

We've had a pretty quiet week at home. It seems like some weeks we have so much going on and are hardly in the house, and other weeks we have no where to go! With the exception of swimming lessons tomorrow, we had nothing on our calendar this week!

We got another big snow storm yesterday and last night, dumping another 12-18 inches on us. All schools were canceled today, including the university so even Kevin was home with us today!

Anyway, here are some pics of the girls...Kayleigh woke up from her nap yesterday and had her socks on her hands instead of her feet.

All was quiet this morning and I found the girls reading books together on our bed. Check out Kayleigh's shoes...this is her obsession this week. She even naps in them and was quite sad when we wouldn't let her sleep in them last night.

Finally, Kayleigh was dressed and ready to go somewhere...too bad we didn't have anywhere to go!


Our memory verse for the week is Philippians 2:4
DO EVERYTHING WITHOUT ARGUING OR COMPLAINING.

At dinner tonight Kevin was trying to get Kay to eat 3 more bites of her soup and she wasn't cooperating. Sydney said, "Mommy, I think you need to tell Kayleigh the memory verse again!"

Noodle Necklaces

I don't know what "look" this is, but Syd put together this ensemble.

While waiting for our mac and cheese to cook, we made these noodle necklaces.

Favorite Mammal

What is you favorite mammal?

Sydney asked me earlier if I knew what her favorite mammal was...after several obvious guesses like dog, cat, etc., she walked over to her sister and said...

"This is my favorite mammal."

Is that sweet or what? And now Kayleigh is walking around saying "I am a mammal."

So let me ask again....What or Who is your favorite mammal?

Introducing Timothy

We have a new nephew!!! Timothy Francis was born yesterday, to Kevin's sister and husband. Isn't he a cutie?

Anthony

For those of you following Anthony's story...here is an update from Ana.


WE HAVE HAD WONDERFULLY BUSY DAYS :) HENRY'S MOM CAME TO VISIT ANTHONY FROM HARLINGEN, TX. WE ENJOYED THE DAYS SHE SPENT HERE WITH US. IT WAS HARD TO SEE HER GO BACK, WE WISH SHE COULD STAY HERE IN CHICAGO :( IT WAS HENRY'S BIRTHDAY ON THE 5TH AND WE CELEBRATED WITH A NICE DINNER HERE AT HOME. IT WAS A WONDERFUL GIFT FOR HENRY TO HAVE ANTHONY HOME ON HIS BIRTHDAY AND TO SHARE IT WITH THE REST OF HIS FAMILY.

ANTHONY IS GETTING BIGGER EVERYDAY. HE WEIGHED 7LBS 8OZ EARLY LAST WEEK SO I'M CALCULATING HE SHOULD BE ABOUT 7LBS 14OZ NOW. HE IS GAINING ABOUT AN 1 OZ. A DAY ON AVERAGE.

ANTHONY'S NURSE SOULA, FROM THE NICU, CAME TO SEE ANTHONY ON VALENTINE'S DAY. I AM SO MAD A MYSELF FOR NOT TAKING ANY PICTURES. YOU SNOOZE YOU LOOSE, RIGHT? :( WELL, ANYWAY SHE BROUGHT ANTHONY A REALLY CUTE SOX SWEAT SUIT AND WE HAD SUCH A NICE TIME SHARING OUR GOOD AND NOT SO GOOD MEMORIES FROM THE NICU. WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE MADE SUCH WONDERFUL FRIENDS DURING ANTHONY'S NICU DAYS.

WE WENT TO SEE THE EYE DOCTOR A WEEK FROM LAST FRIDAY AND WE HAVE GOOD NEWS. BOTH EYES HAVE MADE QUITE AN IMPROVEMENT. THE RIGHT EYE IS PERFECT AND THE FOLD IN THE LEFT EYE HAS GOTTEN MUCH BETTER, THE DOCTOR SAID IT HAS IMPROVED AND WILL MOST LIKELY CONTINUE TO GET BETTER WITH TIME. PRAISE AND THANK GOD!!! HE SAID THE VESSELS HAVE SEALED OFF AND ANTHONY WILL NOT NEED ANOTHER SURGERY :) ANTHONY HAS ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TOMORROW. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR ANTHONY'S EYES.

ANTHONY HAS BEEN OFF THE OXYGEN FOR A WEEK NOW. WE ARE SO EXCITED!!! THE LAST TIME HE HAD IT DURING THE NIGHT, HE HAD THE PRONGS ON HIS FOREHEAD. SEE THE PHOTO GALLERY. HE SEES THE PULMONOLOGIST IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET RID OF THE MONITORS FOR GOOD.

WELL, HAPPY BELATED VALENTINE'S DAY, THANKS FOR CONTINUING TO PRAY FOR ANTHONY AND GOD BLESS!!!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my blog's first birthday!!!!

Lot's of people hold "giveaways" to celebrate, but I just can't think of anything to give away...except maybe my dog, Newton. He's been driving me crazy lately!!!

I started this blog as a way to let family and friends (almost all live far, far away from us), "watch" the girls on a daily basis. I have also used it to speak up for children living in poverty.

Since I began a year ago...

I have posted 5,837 pics of the girls (I'm just guessing at that number)

We have moved to a new state

TWO new children have been sponsored through COMPASSION

And lots of time has been wasted!

THANKS FOR READING. IF YOU WANT TO HELP ME CELEBRATE, SPONSOR A CHILD THROUGH COMPASSION....IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND YOU WILL BE BACK TO THANK ME!

Happy Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!
I made these fun heart cakes for the four of us...

And Kevin and the girls painted this beautiful mug for me!!


We are going to make a heart shaped pizza for dinner tonight. What are you doing to celebrate?

Sydney

Just a few pictures of Sydney...(and her new hair cut, which I am slowly getting used to)

More fun at the Y

I know I take lots of pictures when we go to the YMCA every week, but it's easy to capture big smiles there! So here are some smiles from the crazy girls.


This one is a bit blurry, but I love the look in their eyes!