Big Bucks....

Michael has always wanted a son to join him in his love of hunting and fishing. Now my husband loves his little girls wholeheartedly but fears that they will be to girly to hunt or fish. By looking at this picture and hearing little Bella say Big Buck clear as day everytime she sees a deer, I don;t think Michael has to worry about Bella being too "girly". She also loves venison jerky, banging her little fists on the fridge while chanting "more, more". Maddie is always in a dress and putting on an endless amount of jewels, hair clips, and anything pink she can find, but she still says that she wants to be a "Big Buck Hunter" when she grows up. I can easily see at least one of our little "girly girls" joining their daddy in the woods hunting for Big Bucks.

The girls and I went for a little country drive after playing in the snow today and I took along the camera and captured this old barn surrounded with the snow covered trees. Just thought I'd share with all:)

God is amazing

This is what our street looked like this morning, it speaks of God's Grace with the purity and serenity within it. It's things like this that make it worth living in Michigan:)God Bless everyone and have a great day!!

Help has arrived

For the last 3 weeks or so my girls have been assigned with chores. They each have three like feeding the cat and putting away silverware, simple things but helpful. They get $1.25 every week, teaching them to earn money for what they want. Now that the girls are used to doing their chores Madison (My three year old) has been helping out with other things on her own. The other day I had a pile of clean towels on the dining room floor just waiting to be folded and there goes Maddie all on her own, folding the towels. She folded every one of them all by herself (of course she earned a reward magnet) but she was being thoughtful and helpful, two things that I have been working really hard at instilling in my girls. So I am very excited and pleased at the fruits of my labor, and maybe even bragging a little but hey aren't we all entitled to brag about our children a little?

All I want for Christmas is....

My three year old daughter wanted nothing but princess and the Pauper dresses for Christmas this year. I didn't really think that she was serious at first but anytime someone would ask her what she wanted that was her reply. So I panicked because I could not find them in any store and it is what she told Santa she wanted. I finally looked on Ebay and found an ebay store called my dressup trunk and they were great to work with, making sure that we received them in time for Chritmas. Here in this picture Maddie is explaining that her best friend Sophie can only wear the blue dress because the pink Annelise dress is her special one from Santa. How cute that the first thing she thinks of is her friend coming over to get dressed up with her, as they often do.

I've been tagged, so here are 5 weird things about me:

1. When my girls are sleeping I repeatedly check to make sure they are still breathing.

2. I am really particular about my hair being just right when I go out.

3. My husband told me to put that I don't like dogs:)

4. I save an abundance of my girls artwork, clothes, projects, etc., so that they can see first hand what is was like when they were little.

5. I always rush into things without thinking through the whole situation, mostly regretting my decision in the end.

Well it seems that sharing a bed is working out just fine. The girls have been pretty sick the last couple of days and Bella is seeking the comfort of her big sister. What a great Christmas present for me, I thought I would share it with all:)

Now that the girls have eaten all of the boot house we decided to create a "gingerbread house". In a more relaxed environment I believe we did a pretty good job. Mind you the girls did not get to bed until a little after 10 pm because of all the sampling they did while creating , and the fact that the roof is so heavy that we had to put in side supports to keep it from falling down:) but the fun we had doing it was well worth it.

Our first gingerbread house

Today Maddie's preschool hosted a gingerbread house making party. We were both really excited and ended up having some great mother/daughter quality time together. This was actually alot harder than I expected, our roof caved in a couple of times and our house actually resembles a boot more than a house, but the time that Maddie and I got to spend together was priceless.

December 14th, 2005

As I search for a way to make more room for my girls in their bedroom it hits me, Maddie loves Little House on the Prairie and Mary & Laura share a bed:). Being able to remove a bed would provide so much more room for the girls to play and the new treasures that Santa will be bringing our way. So I gave it a try and for two nights they have cuddled, played and willingly slept next to each other. Even little Bella is sleeping longer than the usual 3 hour intervals. I will continue this new bedtime ritual until we are able to get a trundle bed. I can't resist how cute they look all snuggled up to each other too!!

Welcome to the Cat Refuge

Over the last couple of months our front porch has become a favorite spot for lost,sick, and abandoned cats. First there was Nikko (Maddie named him), Nikko had a bad eye but he loved my daughters and all their friends. He was always there and loved any attention, sweet but still not coming inside. We thought about what we were going to do with him because he was so sweet and Maddie especially, grew very attached to him. He disappeared for a couple of days only to return with it's back legs limp. He must have fallen from a tree given how he chased birds and squirrels in our trees in the backyard. So my husband took poor Nikko to the humane society where they put him to sleep, better off he was suffering. We all shed some tears and told Maddie he found a new cat friend and they went off on an adventure together. Then comes Sally, a beautiful long haired black and white cat. Yes Maddie named her too:) Sally is a little on the timid side, I wonder if she has a home just not a loving one. We feed her on the porch and give her a little milk here and there but she runs when she hears a noise. A couple of weeks ago a new fellow appeared, no name yet, Maddie has only seen him once when he made his way through our front door. He is loving and has a very distinguished face, I will keep you updated on the name for I am sure he will posess one soon. Now the other day my husband said there was yet another cat hanging out in the front flower bed!! Tonight I saw him/her for myself and how sad. Nothing but skin and bones and sick with some kind of cold. This is when my husband said " What is this the front porch cat refuge?". This poor cat scarfed down some cat food all the while sniffing and shivering. Being the overly sensitive person that I am I went inside and grabbed my old comfy lounge blanket and wrapped up the cat and put it in the front porch chair. I don't quite know what to make of this new found cat business but I can't just turn my back on a lonely, sick, cold and starving cat.

Global Warming.....believe it or not

As I sit diligently working on a "global warming" term paper, I step outside to take a break and I realize that it is warmer outside than it is in our house. The weather all day today was rainy and cold but now at 10 pm there is an almost warm breeze. Global warming? maybe. Ironic? definately.

What do I want to be when I grow up?

If you know me then you know that I am attending a local college to earn a degree in Elementary education. I am currently taking my first EDU class and have been placed in a kindergarten class for my observation fieldwork. I thought this class would be a blast, never did I think that half way into it I would be re-thinking my career choice. I love children and the thought of having my own classroom filled with little learners but, when I was asked to get in front of those kindergartners I felt really uncomfortable and out of place. I am a very shy person and I don't know if I will be able to break out of my comfort zone so to speak. I desprately would love to be a photographer but I don't want to waste the money I've already accumulated in financial aid and student loans. I'm at the crossroads right now and I am really struggling with making a decision. Any comments from you would help, or anyone who knows of local schools that carry a photography program please let me know. How many people really know what they want to be when they grow up?:)

Preschool Pictures

I waited patiently for these pictures and now that I have the order form I am re-thinking the deal I made with my husband. We made a deal that we would not order a ton of pictures like we usually do, there are always too many. Looking at these pictures I wonder how am I suppose to order just a few?... I am trying to change so I will hold up my end of the bargain, as hard as it will be:)

Bed time

Until recently there was never a set bed time routine in our home. Well with mom getting very little sleep and no one wanting to sleep in their own beds, something had to change. So about 2-3 months ago I enforced a bed time routine that I thought would take months to enforce,but to my surprise and delight the girls caught on rather quickly and I believe enjoy it. So much that last night when I got home from class my husband was excitedly telling me how our 19 month old daughter got up from the couch and said to him "beh, beh" he replied with do you want to go to bed?, go ahead and go get in your bed. With that Bella walked into her room pushed her stuffed kitties off her bed and climbed in, with a puckered up face she kissed Dad goodnight and off to dreamland she went!!!! I am still in awe over this one, I mean the girls are no longer rocked or nursed to sleep but to want to go to bed and do it on their own amazes me....Thank you God for such sweet moments my children bring to my life.

Sisters Are....

Being an only child I'm learning, right along with my girls, what it is like to have a sister. When Bella was first born there was a big change in Maddie and not for the best. There was jealousy and a sense of not being the center of attention when the baby was first brought home. I knew that this would all change and they would grow to be best friends...Right? Well it has finally happened they are becoming friends and treating each other the way I would expect sisters to treat each other. It has been a struggle for me (the lonely only) to understand why they haven't always been loving and kind to one another. I have always told them that they need to love each other because God has blessed them with each other and not everyone has a wonderful blessing like that. I've prayed for them to understand that it is much more fun to play together than against each other and I can say now that my prayers have been answered!!! Now I know that siblings will not always get along and there will be battles to tend to, but the way my girls have been playing together and respecting each other is not letting me think about those times right now.

Hullabaloo anyone?

A couple of weeks ago a good friend of mine invited my girls and I over to play a new game they got called Hullabaloo. What a great game!! I had to go out and purchase it myself and it was a wonderful investment. After a long day at the local pumpkin farm and a restful sleep, our whole family decided to pull out the game and just enjoy each others company. You can't help but laugh at the silly dances you are prompted to do if you are the winner. Our family has had a hard time jsut being silly and letting loose lately and Hullabaloo just unlocked the door to our silliness:). I would definately recomend this game to any family if you are in need of some funky dancing and some plain old family fun

My little princess is off to preschool

I always imagined Maddie's first day of school, but never realized how quickly it would come. I was very excited to get her all dressed in her new school clothes(thanks to Grandma) and send her off to make new friends and learn. Now I knew I would be sad to see my baby girl go off and have someone else teaching her, when I secretly would love to homeschool her (but don't have the time with college).But the tears that came as soon as I turned away from her that first day were a bit of a surprise and blessing all in one. As Bella and I returned home we were both at a loss as of what to do with ourselves. Maddie is always dancing and signing and just being a 3 year old princess. Sometimes you just don't realize how much a child can fill your house with an unexplainable chatter that until not present, can be a bit irksome. So the blessing I got out of this is that even though sometimes you just pray for your children to be quiet for a few minutes, when it is actually quiet it is the chatter you really long for.

Our Feline Family

God bless my husband, I love him dearly but when he paid $50 for a kitten and brought home not only one but two.....I could have wrung his neck. I say this because everyone knows that as soon as spring starts it's journey, so do the free kitten signs. My husband is the type of man to get bored on a sunday afternoon and decide to buy something , great examples of this are our two feline family members, Thelma & Louise(not pictured). The cats were obviously named by me, after one of my favorite movies. The reason for this post is plain and simple... my love for cats and the great impact (I think) a cat can have on a childs life. This may not be as true for children with siblings but for an only child like me, they can become a best friend and confidant. Our cats are very spoiled and you know I think they really understand this and use it to their advantage, very sneaky creatures cats are. All in all I probably would have paid the $100 for these two loving felines too, they really have become a part of our family:)

Great Friends and a cup of tea......Priceless

Last night myself and two of my friends met up on Ruthie's front porch for a well needed visit and of course, a cup of tea. Now Ruthie is the one who got Kellie and I hooked on sipping tea and we are grateful to her for that:). Now I have never really drank tea before but, now that I have found a few that I really enjoy, it would be safe to say that I have found a new ,relaxing hobby of drinking tea. My daughters and I will often sit down at the table and bring out the china and have a little old fashioned tea party. I hope these little tea parties between us will in the future, be fond memories for them to share with their own children. So I would like to thank Ruth for turning me on to tea and the very comforting Vanilla Almond Tea!! The three of us girls had a good time last night, just catching up and I hope we keep it up because, you know you have great friends when you are an over worked, sleep deprived mom and what you really need is sleep but you choose to sit and chat until well after midnight.:)