Grateful Girl

Hello my little blog and bloggy friends.  I've missed you, but haven't forgotten about you little blog.  It's been a trying few weeks, but it looks like we're through the storm and picking up the pieces of our broken hearts and moving on to stronger ground and better people for it.  Without going into too much detail and being arrested for sharing other's info while not being too vague, the short story is my dear, sweet, awesome mom wasn't feeling well, went to the walk in clinic, but then was rushed to the ER and was in MAJOR surgery a day later.  I dont think any of her loved ones took a breath during it all; it all came in like a tornado ripping the floor out from underneath us all, but the surgery was a total success and she is 100% healthy and ok now!!  It was scary, scary times, but it reminded me just how precious this life is and reinforced how family is everything.  And the people who are like family are everything too.  The inspiration from prayers and love came from everywhere holding us all up during such a trying time.  Recovery is slow for her,  but in the end her being healthy is all that really matters.    It's like our world stopped revolving and we were a character in a wild video game.
I barely saw my kids during it all because we were at the hospital day and night, but they were troopers,  made cards, prayed and life at home seemed normal to them with Grandpa, David and Dan tag teaming helping, rotating schedules, and pitching it to make their life happy and still go lucky.



Dress up is always a priority



and reading too...nonstop...



and of course...

can someone please explain this phenomenon ?

Grady played with this nonstop at his bud Elliot's house and Molly got him one for Christmas and he loves it so much.  Anything that teaches him his letters and sounds and the like, he falls in love with and plays with nonstop.  He is a sponge soaking up it all and completely and utterly OBSESSED with letters, numbers, books, words, letters and I Spy.  I can't get through a parking lot without him reading me all the letters on license plates, road signs, building signs, you name it.  He's so thirsty for it all and it's so cool to witness and learn with him.

and these 2 together make me laugh so hard.  even when they get on each other's nerves.


can u believe this shirt from Allison?


The zoo is hot, but they have waterfalls there...and it's open at night now for summer!  Wahoo!!  Grady has a double jointed jaw when he poses his smile.  Makes me laugh so hard.



such a poser...literally.



her partner in crime.



her beloved cotton candy has been replaced by Rainbow Bear (thanks Aunt Jeffer) recently, but sometimes Cotton Candy gets to come along for some fun.


School is out for summer and next year she has uniforms so these fancy outfits might be on the short list.



she has 5-6 dollhouses and she chose this as her fav...



my little cleaning assistant.



"Mommy, I drew this for you because you love rainbows."



Can I tell you how excited I am for summer?

lazy mornings with no schedule...

and sleeping in...


Feeling gratitude for these healthy little souls and for a family that loves so madly and friends who are like family who are part of our family tree too. Life is good!

turn on your speakers

This song was playing loudly as the crowds parted and suddenly it was like my kids were the only ones at the zoo - there are moments like this i can't believe that they're here and we get to enjoy them everyday  - I sat back and took in the moments of watching them run, frolic and enjoy their little lives together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNDr4MtjG3I
click here if link isn't hot  Life is Good!

Wonky Wee Ones

The behavior around here has been wonky and off the charts lately so we're enrolling the kids into behavior boot camp. This is how we're feeling around here

he loves to be on his head...all day long.

This is what i see when i walk by randomly throughout the day.


or when i get him out of his crib.  notice the banner just above the crib?  yea, that's been torn down on a random tuesday night.  still haven't found the 2nd tack that hung it and have looked for days.


if you can't beat em' join em'.  (note the nicely hung banner.  yea not so much anymore)


sometimes i think he has a vision problem when i see him writing.



but he went to an eye doctor for other concerns we had and his vision was a-ok.  but he sure would look cute in some little specs though.


excuse the christmas decor - i promise it's not still up.


I usually take Lily to school so it's nice when David gets a chance too.

and see her in action.

i love when she looks at us like this.



after a tough day(s) i love to peek on them while they're sleeping and it reminds me they're just learning and growing and testing figuring out where their boundaries are in life.


and see their goodness to their core


we used to try lily in bed with us when we'd go on vaca and the pack and play wasn't working but sleeping with us never worked either...she's such a wild sleeper.


love this oldie but goodie of her about to sleep over at Grandma's house :)



not a nervous bone in her body about sleeping away from her comforts of home.



i went on pics while sleeping kick for awhile...



"Lily let's get cozy."


feeding her dolls....



another sleepover.   :)




weeeee...



today was a good day so im going to focus on that and hoping boot camp is helping and continuing this momentum into this week....one last stop before bed though.

Life is good.

park hoppers

Always on a hunt for a new park - this is one of our favorites because it's handicap accessible built by parents who lost their son to Muscular Dystrophy at the young age of 7 so the community rallied together and built this park with ramps and wheelchair accessible equipment...even the slides!
Thank you Allison for all of Chase and Cal's clothes!  Im running out of hangers and closet space!



Me and my wandering eye boy...



they have the same smile here...



Lily is a bit of a puzzle freak lately and did a 100 piece puzzle the other day all by herself...I was like say whaaaaa...this was her first one of 24 pieces I believe.



yes, we've taken these down (lights too), but this picture snuck into the mix.



her life size doll friends...



no idea why his crocs are on the table while he ate dinner.



Colleen gave me this pin while we were TTC as a good luck charm to represent the family we so desperately wanted...I love wearing it because it reminds me how far we've come!



we have a bunch of Curious George fanatics running around here...a quick read before school



now she's ready for school



there's a lake in our neighborhood with a large field the kids run wild in and it always makes me feel like the sound of music when we're there...



me and Charlie Brown look alike have so much fun sitting by the lake pondering life while waiting to pick up Lillers.
life is good.