Toasted Marshmallow

Yesterday I embarked on an adventure that is new to me. I have been inspired by several people to look for small ways to improve those places in your home that need a little love and attention. I have always been hesitant to start a project like this for fear that it won't turn out right and it will be there to stare me in the face as if to say, "See, I told you so." I almost gave up when I was looking for paint, but I found the color "Toasted Marshmallow" and since it was for the fireplace, it was just meant to be! So, for $35 and with the little extra push and help from a friend (thanks Amee), our fireplace has a whole new look.

Before

During

After

So, what do you think? Want to come over and "toast" a marshmallow with me in our new fireplace?

Doctor Visit with 2

To my surprise, she let the sleeve "hug" her arm.

On Thursday we had our first doctor visit with both girls at once. Hannah's 3 year check up and Claire's 2 month. Waiting room was not bad...lots of toys and excitement for Hannah. Claire, as usual, was just along for the ride. Hannah got excited when her name was called for us to come back...then...everything changed. First attempt by the sweet nurse to proceed with the check up was to have Hannah step on the scales. Easy enough, right? Wrong! Hannah replied to each attempt with, "No thanks." (At least she remembered her manners?) Eventually Daddy "strongly coached" her into stepping on to be weighed. Whew, glad that was over. This was followed by Claire being weighed and measured and that part Hannah enjoyed. Next, came the vision reader (as seen above in picture). The task was to have Hannah look at the green light while it scanned her eyes. I'll just sum this attempt up by saying we do not know Hannah's vision. The same sweet nurse said, "That's ok, we'll try again next year."

Phase two of the visit: the doctor comes in. Hannah was semi involved at this point, but responded with the same hesitation and "No thanks" to most of the request. She did let the doctor know that she was three on her birthday and she has a baby sister that she helps with. Claire...again...just along for the ride. She was fed, so she was happy.

Phase three: the SHOTS! Hannah went first. Josh had to hold her down and the nurse (who, by the way, should get paid more for patients like us) took care of business. Needless to say, Hannah was not happy. She cried...a lot. Next, Claire's turn...3 shots and 30 seconds later, she was back asleep with minimal crying. When we got in the van to leave, Hannah told me through her tears that she was mad at mommy and daddy and "somebody shot me."

I think next time, I'll schedule their visits on different days.

P.S. Hannah does have more outfits than this one....I just realized in the last two postings the flower shirt and denim skirt is what she wore. :)

The Girls

Claire at 8 weeks

Enjoying one of many cupcakes for her 3rd birthday!

This is me trying to stay current on the blog with pictures of the girls! Do we really have 2 kids??? P.S. I can't decide on a background...it may change a few more times.

And one year later...

First family of 4 photo

I was shocked to see a 7 pounder considering Hannah was only 5!

Let the fun begin

Claire's first bottle

So...here is my attempt at coming back into the blog world. Instead of starting where I left off a year ago, I'll just pick up with today.

Tomorrow is Hannah's 3rd birthday and this year she has a baby sister to celebrate with her. Claire Elizabeth was born June 10th. She weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 21 inches long. From the day Hannah met her, she was smitten. She adores her baby sister and loves that she is a real live baby doll that she can rock, feed, burp, and sing to. She does, however, make it very clear when she has had enough sister time by saying, "Mommy I'm done with her. You can take her now." *smile* I wonder how often we'll hear that over the years.

Here are a few pictures capturing life with 2 girls over the past 7 weeks.

Gatlinburg Trip

We spent a few days in Gatlinburg with Josh's parents. Most of our time there we stayed near the pool. We did venture out one evening for the cousins to ride some kiddy rides! Hannah loved the miniature version of the spinning teacups. You couldn't tell by her expression, but after she got off the ride, she said "I do it again!" So, she did...4 times in a row!

A Legacy

Josh and I returned this past Monday evening from an unexpected trip home to Arkansas to celebrate the life of his grandfather, Floyd Rose. What I experienced during this time of loss was overwhelming on many levels. I felt as if I had an out of body experience, watching people as they remembered and gathered around to support each other with a deep love felt only by the closest of family. To watch and see first hand the legacy this man left was amazing and humbling. What he left behind was worth more than any amount of monetary inheritance. He passed on to his son and his son passed on to my husband a legacy that will continue for generations to come. He instilled value. He taught respect. He laughed...and made people laugh. He was kind. He was gentle. He was strong. He loved. He served. He apologized. He was a man who loved God and loved showing God to others. He wasn't perfect and didn't try to be. He was a husband, a father, a grandfather, and brother.

We all experienced a deep sense of loss, wishing we could have one more laugh with him...wishing he could tell us one more joke. But even with tears and feelings of loss there was a deep sense of joy. He isn't in pain anymore. He is being made whole. He is experiencing the love of his Creator in a new way.

I can't uplift Pawpaw Floyd without uplifting his precious wife. She stayed by his side until his last breath. She took care of him, loved him, and served him just like she promised over 50 years ago. I can only imagine how she must have felt watching him slowly over the past 2 years get to that point of his final moment on earth. How painful. Yet, she wouldn't have had it any other way. Her strength is inspiring.

I am so grateful to be a part of this family.

Nap Time

I couldn't resist posting this! When I laid Hannah down for nap time yesterday around 12:40, I knew this was going to be a day that she didn't fall right asleep. I shut her door completely so she couldn't get out of her room to wander with the hopes she'd get back in bed and go to sleep. Josh came home around that time for lunch and we got to talking and realized after about 20 minutes that we hadn't heard anything from her room in a while. We peeked at the video monitor thinking, "she must have gotten back in bed and went to sleep. What a good girl!" However, to our surprise, there wasn't a sleeping toddler to be found in her bed. Time to investigate. I believe the picture above tells the rest of the story. When we opened the door, this is what we found! She had grabbed her favorite items (bunny, book, cup, and blankets), got into the chair and at some point drifted off to sleep! We HAD to take a picture! This was one of those priceless moments for us as parents. Our daughter just doesn't fall asleep anywhere, but apparently, that is changing.