Beautiful Day

Today:

75 degrees

Cloudless sky

Slight Breeze

Perfect.

We spent several hours just playing and picnic-ing in the backyard today.  It was just so gorgeous, and made my spirits soar.  So fun.

 My beautiful big girl.  Both of these pictures are some of the most natural ones I've taken of her.

 Self-portrait attempt.  Those are hard with my big camera!

 Attempt #2.

I took this one without looking too.  But I just love it.  She was walking around playing, then just came over and lay down in my lap.  

 Then, I had them both laying in my lap.  Here is my vantage point:  perfection.

The videos are not my friend... the ones that I WANT to post get "rejected."  So these are the outtakes, but the only ones that blogger would take.  It's cool, I guess. 

Thank you LORD for just a fabulous day!  One of the greatest things about Texas... spring that starts in Feb!

Jenny

 It was one year ago today that Jenny went to Heaven.  I find myself still so sad for her friends, family, husband, especially her little girl.  I think of her so very often, sometimes at the most random times.  Today, same as many other days since she died, I LONG for Jesus to come.  I was praying outloud while out walking today that the hurts of this world are GREAT and we ask that HE COME BACK SOON!  My prayers lately are that I am more heavenly-minded... that all the "things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace."  That is what Jenny did for me, personally.  Not only did her sickness change my prayer life forever, but it helped me remember to LONG for Heaven.  To try and instill in my girls an anticipation for His Coming.  I'm so thankful to her for that.

Jenny's favorite verse of Romans 15 is the one we had chosen as "Brooklyn's" while I was pregnant with her.  I always wonder if God cares that I have favorite parts of the Bible...

(click on this to see it better.... most beautiful marker I've ever seen.)

Jenny Ross Bizaillion, I hope you're dancing today.  You're missed so much.  To the God of all Comfort who gives and takes away, we will forever give praise!

And we do wait with hope.

Happy Heart Day

Reagan was so very excited about her Valentines Party at school.  I was very excited for her to get to wear this dress.  It was Adley's sweater dress, it's red and pink, so it SCREAMS Valentine's Day.  I've been looking forward to it on her behalf. 

And she looked precious. Thanks Adley! :)

 

 I guess Reagan had put this book in Brooklyn's bed the night before after we read it for a bedtime story (Berenstain Bears Valentines... I loooooooooove those books!) because I found Brooklyn reading it when I went to get her yesterday morning!

 We planned a family party for last night, and Reagan was "in charge" of decorating the cake.  It was her idea to make Daddy a heart-shaped cake, so I gave her the reigns.  She took her job VERY seriously.  Colored the whip cream pink, of course.

 The finished product.  I thought it was a cross in the middle, but she said it was just a heart with stripes.  And fancy chocolate chips.  And LOADS of rainbow sprinkles.

 We got all dressed up and waited for Daddy to come home from work... who promised to cook dinner (and it was AMAZING!).  Here they are waiting for Daddy... I was hoping to get a good photo.  Each of these just make me laugh instead!

 Reagan giving Daddy the card she made for him.

 The girls and I both got flowers!  I love it when he does extra things to make them feel like special little ladies.

 They looooooooooove to smell flowers.... especially when they are for them!

 We got each girlie a new little toy and new pjs for their Valentine.

 (there's a My Little Pony carriage under that red paper... I didn't get a photo.)

I realize after seeing all those that I need David to take the camera so I can be in more pictures too.  I've been reminded lately that later I'll wish that I could see more pics of me with the girls.  Especially since I was all dressed up and not looking like crud/normal!  Oh well.

But I did get a pic of all our flowers.  Arranging flowers is HARD.  No wonder they cost so much!!  But they're BEAUTIFUL and smell awesome. I love having flowers.  Maybe too much.

This "family party" is our new Vday tradition.  It was SO much fun.  I love all three of my Valentines!

My Crazy, Big Girl

Just a few things from the last week or so:

~

I put this on FB, but I was reading a book earlier today with Reagan.... she'd "read" a page, I read a page. In her head, she was sounding out the words "But he" at the beginning of a sentence on her page... and came up with "Booty." Pretty accurate, and sure did make me laugh! Things like that make want to keep her this age FOREVER.

~

She really likes to "drive" for a minute or two once we pull in the garage.

(please take this picture as proof that I DO DRESS HER IN CLOTHES.)

 David has pulled out his guitar and is trying to relearn it.  Reagan LOVES it.

(excuse the laundry...)

 Someone discovered that the corners of walls are magnetic!!

 Helping me cook last night... "painting" the garlic bread with butter.  She's becoming quite fond of helping in the kitchen... I love it.

 This was Saturday after her nap... went straight to snuggling with Daddy.  He didn't mind much.  :)  She was SUPER SWEATY HEAD.  Makes her seem a little less "big" when she is all snuggly with her babies, blankies, etc when she wakes up.  I love it.

Can. NOT. Believe.  I have to register her for kindergarten soon!!!

Poor Baby

I've been such a bad blogger lately that I don't even know if more than a couple people (and my parents) read this anymore.  But, I'm about to go all "Mommy talk" complete with poop talk, so stop reading if you don't want to hear about the sickness in my house.

Brooklyn and I both have a stomach bug.  Well, I had a TOUCH of a stomach bug, hers is full blown (pun intended).  Her diapers have been UNREAL for a couple days now, but at this point it is pretty much straight water coming out her rear.  And oh my goodness, her diaper rash is CRAZY BAD.  I am changing her at least every hour and soaking in the tub.  Except I only woke her up to change her twice last night....... she has fever and needs to sleep and I can't stand waking up a sleeping baby!!!  Anyways, she just cries and cries during diaper changes, sobbing the only words she can say...  "Mommmmmmmmmm....  OOOWWW!"  I cried like 10 times yesterday hearing that.  Anyways, if any of you know of anything I can give her for her stomach, that would be awesome.  Grownups can just take medicine and it will stop.  With her, I have no idea.  If it isn't seeming better this morning (she is still in bed, poor baby), I'll call the doctor.  But thought I would ask for advice... and for prayers.  Seriously, her rear end looks so horrible it is HEARTBREAKING.

Ok, now go see the happy pictures below that I posted last night.  Way better than the poop talk.

More Chirstmas Pictures!

On to finish Christmas... my deadline was YESTERDAY. Ugh. But goodness, I am having lots of trouble with blogger rejecting my videos... anyone have advice for the message "server rejected"? I have several cute videos that refuse to post....

Anyways. :)

Poppy and Grammy came to stay with us when we got home from FtW. Here's Poppy doing his part with the nightly Christmas book.

(Reagan is SO lady-like, just like her Mom.)

After church on Christmas Eve, Grammy and Poppy made us a DELICIOUS meal. Here is Brook with dessert.

Christmas morning:

Santa left a princess playhouse for the girls!

Their pink chairs were inside with their stockings and other gifts. Santa wraps presents at our house each year, which makes the whole experience last longer. Mom likes that. :)

Opening stocking stuffers. Enlarge this one and you can see Reagan's eyes were still quite swollen from sleep, sweet girl. Brooklyn didn't want to stay in for whatever reason, so Reagan handed her her loot through the "door." (which she mostly refused to open... more on that later)

Reagan picked out a new playstation game for Daddy that they can play together. Daddy liked that :) . "Thank you" kisses:

I'll try and put up some video too, but here is Brooklyn with her favorite present of the morning: her Lip Smackers. She was hilarious, and didn't give a hoot about anything else. But Reagan "built" her a puppy from BuildABear, and she loves it now. :)

LOVE IT.

We got Brooklyn this tea cart and tea set... which both girls enjoy. Brook took a TINY break from her lip gloss to sip some "tea."

Princess mania at our house. :)

And Brooklyn's world is more Dora-mania.

She was OBSESSED with this stuff!

Grammy, desperately trying to get Brooklyn to play with her loot! :)

I loooooooooooove this one

Finally put down the lip gloss for some new colors and her Dora book. See, I'm so lady-like.

Guess they both loved the lip gloss stocking stuffer!

Tea party with Grammy!

Another good one...

... and Poppy paid the price for this one. :)

Our tradition for breakfast!!! Gotta love Santa pancakes!

Brooklyn, precious one, ate every bite of fruit first. Good girl.

Then there's Reagan.... who just ate scoops of whipped cream. :)

Blogger flipped this one, darn-it. Santa did well with this present. :) All things Dora get lots of lovin' from Brook these days.

We spent the next couple days at Aunt Mary's house. Good fun and great food. Here is the kids' table, complete with Grandparents, for ice cream. :)

The next morning the kids opened their presents. Reagan was trying her best to be patient....

David took mostly video of this morning, so I don't have tons of pictures. (and the videos are LONG, so not post-friendly...) But this was SECONDS after Reagan opened her new Silvermist (from Tinkerbell movies) costume.... immediately started stripping. :)

Brooklyn BIGGEST hit was her new baby and stroller. This gets pushed around my house every single day. She is just SO BIG.

Again, princess mania. Happy 4 year old. :)

She also got new play make-up and nail polish that immediately was put to good use.

The next night... fun times in pjs and Poppy's glasses. SUCH a fun picture.

A few videos, again mostly for family. Here are the girls coming into the living room Christmas morning to discover their loot:

Brooklyn and her favorite gift:

Listen for the squeal of pure delight coming from Brooklyn while opening this present :) :

I'll put this one since it will load.... I particularly love it because she puts snot in her mouth right as I ask for a kiss, and Brooklyn is in the back at the very end showing the camera her lip gloss, just in case we hadn't noticed it already.  :)

Bad Bad Blogger... it refuses some of my fave videos of Reagan.  I've tried way too many times, and I guess I have to give up on it.  Boo.

But Happy Groundhog's Day tomorrow, whatever that means!!!