Lydia goes to preschool!

Last week Lydia started preschool at Peace preschool. It's not "offically" preschool since she won't be 4 until after Sept. 1st, but it is a preschool setting.

I was a little concerned since she cried a lot last year at Mother's day out. And on the day we met the teacher, she was a little stand offish, but she did SO great!! She loves it! She has not cried once!

Lydia is a sweet, but shy girl. I worry that she plays by herself & doesn't reach out to friends. She told me today she just wanted to play by herself. I told her I wanted her to talk to one person & tell me about it.

When we got home, I asked her who she talked to, & she said "It was a girl with long white hair." Good! At least she talked to another girl! I think everyone wants their child to have good friends.

I want her to have a fun school experience. But we still talk about how next year, she will learn at home with mommy. I want to try to homeschool her next year.

I'm so proud of her, she is growing up SO fast!

"Wise friends make you wise, but you hurt yourself by going around with fools" Proverbs 13:20

Grandpa Bob is 85!

My mom's father, my Grandpa Bob's birthday was September 1st. He is the only grandpa I've ever known since my dad's dad, my Grandpa Lex, passed away before I was born.

I've always had a special place in my heart for my Grandpa Bob. I cherish the time we spend together. I always kiss & hug him before we leave. Maybe it's because he is the only grandpa I have that I know how special that relationship is. I'm also the oldest grandchild....so of course I'm the favorite!:)
I'm so glad that my girls get a chance to know Grandpa Bob. We don't get to see my grandma & grandpa very much since we live a hour & 1/2 away & all their other grandchildren/great-grandchildren live in the same town.

Grandpa says things like "Your girls don't really know me since we don't get to see you very much."...which in a way is true, but I talk to Lydia & Caraline about grandpa & grandma all the time.

We had planned a family get-together for Grandpa Bob's 85th birthday at the lake. Lydia fell asleep in the car on the way to the lake. She was sleepy & Grandpa "jokingly" held out his arms to her & she went & sat in his lap & snuggled. Grandpa said that made his day.

All the great-granddaughters made Grandpa a birthday shirt. We have 8 great-granddaughters & they all put their hand prints on the shirt & one of Grandma's hands made it 85 fingers. We added a ladybug to the collar to represent Angel Addyson.

We passed around a little scrapbook that everyone wrote a memory or something they loved about Grandpa.

I hope he felt the love of his family on his 85th birthday & everyday after!

We are blessed to have such a rich heritage!

"Rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you & your household." Deuteronomy 26:11

Every parent's nightmare!

Friday, the girls and I went to the Omniplex, the Science Museum with some good friends. We always have a great time at the Omniplex!!
We got there at 9am to make a day of it. We ate lunch there and learned all kinds of things.
Caraline got really fussy & fell asleep at 1:30pm so I decided it was time to go. My friend Lisa and her girls were in a magic show. When I told Lydia we needed to go home, she started crying & ran away from me!! At first she just ran around in circles, but then she run under a display & out of my sight!! By the time I ran around the display box with Caraline in the stroller, I could not see Lydia!
It was 1:30pm & there were a lot of families & kids there. There were three different sections she could have ran to. All three were very big & fairly crowded. Something was holding me in the same place. Something told me to stay in the area that I lost sight of her because she would come back.
I didn't know what to do!! I was trying not to panic! My mind was racing with all the things I needed to do: do I find someone who worked there and ask them to page her, do I start screaming and get everyone's attention to help me look, do I ask someone if they saw a little blonde girl with little pigtails and glasses in a red shirt? I started calling her name REALLY LOUDLY, "LYDIA!!!" "LYDIA?!?!?!" I walked one way a few steps then turned back around & walked back to where I was, and then I saw Lydia come out from under a little table and smile I me.
I ran to her, bend down & tried not to cry!! I told her that scared mommy and someone not very nice could have taken her away & we wouldn't see her anymore.
Lydia said "Sorry mommy, I won't do that again."
I thanked God that nothing had happened to her & I found her in a short amount of time. That was the LONGEST 3 minutes of my life!!

I know God had angels watching that girl for me!!

"Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge." Psalm 16:1

Is there a doctor in the house?

The other day Lydia & Caraline were playing doctor. It was so sweet & cute. Then we decided to play vet & we were checking ALL the animals in the house!!! The girls thought that was so fun!

Our girls are getting so big & I love staying home with them. The other day I was able to take a 3 minute shower while the girls played in their room together and when I RAN to check on them, they were playing nicely with the puzzles.

If you were to ask me a few years ago if I would like to stay home, I would have told you for about 2 years, but I would go back to work soon.

BOY, have things changed!!

I will have been home with the girls for 2 years in November and I do not feel the need to go back to work any time soon!! I have enough to do at home!!!

I love staying home with my girls so much that in the past few days, I've been thinking bout homeschooling!!! I have about a year before Lydia offically would be a preschooler. This fall she is going to a private preschool program 3 half days a week. We will see how that goes, but I think I want more time with them.

They are so much fun to be around! Don't get me wrong, there are days I would like to take them to daycare and go to work, but I hated leaving Lydia everyday at daycare.

I was always so torn between being with my child & working with 20 first graders. At work, the kids were ALWAYS first graders, the group that I worked with were always going to be 6 or 7 years old. Lydia was growing and getting bigger everyday & I was missing that.

I know that I will NOT regret being home with my girls. I can always teach another time.

Maybe I will even teach my girls at home. I may need my head examined, but I think I would like to give it a try. I want to be able to watch them grow in many more ways!

Who knows, Lydia and Caraline could be your doctor someday.

"Respect & obey the Lord. This is the beginning of wisdom." Proverbs 9:10

Fourth of July 2008

Every year since Scott & I met, we have gone to the Liberty fest parade and sit in the same place by the BSU.
Scott and I got together on July 4th 1998, so we have been together for 10 years! He proposed to me July 4th 1999.

We love going to the parade in Edmond, but there is a time that I miss the fourth of July of my childhood.

When I was a child, up until I was in college...well, maybe high school, we got up early & went to Pawnee. In the morning, they had a parade. After the parade, there were games to play & EVERYONE played!! There was the egg toss, three legged race, sack races, boot toss, backseat driver game.

But the most fun was the turtle races!! I swear, my cousins would stop on the side of the road weeks ahead of time to pick a turtle!! They would train the thing to run!! They always got extra turtles for Tori and me.
They put ALL the turtles who was registered in the middle of a big circle. (You usually marked your turtle so you knew which one was yours.) Then which turtle made it to the eadge of the circle first, won.

After the games, we would go back to Grandma & Grandpa's house and eat lunch. When the kids would ride bikes and swim all afternoon long. We would always ask when the fireworks were. Sometimes those afternoons seemed so long!!
Soon we would take baths, put on clean clothes, eat a little dinner and head back into downtown Pawnee.
There was street band singing and dancing in the streets & a carnival with a famous Ferris Wheel. We HAD to ride it!!
Then about dark-thirty, they would shoot off a warning firework to let you know they were getting ready to start. Everyine would gather on the court house lawn & watch. Sometimes it seemed like there was 10 minutes between each firework. But you knew when it was over because they would shoot off 8 to 10 fireworks together.
Everyone would clap & head home.

I loved the feel of the small town fourth of July!!

Anyone want to help me organize a turtle race for next year?:)

"Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12

Playing "catch up"

It's been a while since I posted a blog...oops! Life with a 3 year old and a toddler is really busy!!

Let's see...

At the end of May, my mom retired from teaching after more than 20 years.

In June, we had Vacation Bible school which both girls loved!!

We've had a few "field trips" with our good friends to the Little River Zoo and the Oklahoma Science Musuem (formerly known as the Omniplex)

We spent some time in Woodward with Scott's parents for Father's day and his dad's birthday.

Lydia is working on sounding out words and trying to rythme. Caraline is now sitting in a booster seat at the table with her own plate. Caraline thinks she can do EVERYTHING Lydia does! Caraline always says "Go, Go, GO!" She is talking more too! I love it!

I love being home & watching my girls grow!! It's a hard job at times and there are days I think I should have been fired, but at the end of the day, I thank God that I'm able to be home and be Lydia & Caraline's mom!

"Teach me what is right God & I will do it!" Psalm 89:11

Walking in Addyson's memory

Saturday, May 10, 2008 our family walked in the Payne county heartwalk. We walked in memory of Addyson Layne.
Everyone wore lime green shirts with Addyson's picture on the front. On the back it read, "Some people only dream of angels, but we've held one in our arms."

I'd like to think she knew we were walking and remembering her short life as a gift God allowed us for a while.

She is healed & being held by her healer, God. He held the other part of her heart and only God could complete Addy.

Walking 3 & a half miles wasn't easy and we were all tired afterwards, but that didn't compare to the struggle of an open heart surgery Addyson had at 10 days old. She is resting in the everlasting arm of our Lord.

So, we walked and remembered our sweet angel. She is unforgettable.

"This world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven." Hebrews 13:14