God Answers Prayers

God hears and answers prayers...even the prayers of a stressed Momma who just wants her daughter to eat her vegetables. Notice the progression of the corn cob...

YAY!!! She ate her whole ear of corn & then asked for more! Pork chops & corn on the cob...I'll take it! And I had to throw one of Ivy Jane in here, too. She kept saying, "mmmm!"
Thank you Lord for answered prayer!

Busy busy day!

Today was one of those days that we hit the ground running. I vaguely remember a day when I could get my house cleaned from top to bottom in 2 hours top. Now, it's 2-3 days! I clean my shower...stop & change a diaper...clean a toilet...stop & work a puzzle...clean a sink...stop & make juice cups. I wouldn't trade it, OF COURSE, but I hope to some day be able to REALLY REALLY clean my floors! :)

While I was cleaning the kitchen Georgia & Ivy Jane wanted to "do art" so we got out the paints & they had a blast! (Yes, Ivy Jane is painting the table in this picture...)

Meal time has been a CHORE lately. Because of Georgia Claire's low muscle tone (& the SPD), including the muscles in her mouth, there are many foods that she does not like & will actually make her gag...poor baby. She loves crunchy things...crackers, bacon, pretzels, carrots, chips, granola, apples, toast, etc. Trying to get a balanced diet into my child that does not like many cooked veggies or fruits is tough! I stress almost every time she eats because I want her to eat well & to love the fruits & veggies that I so love! Her OT tells me that once her core is strengthened the mouth will be next...I HOPE SO!

Tonight she actually ate well...I don't know if it was the puzzles, babies, blocks, swing, slide, bubbles, kitchen, books, art, play dough, or helping Momma clean that worked up her appetite, but we all celebrated by eating small Blue Bell country cones for dessert! I think she's happy!
This was the best picture I could get of Ivy Jane...this girl has NO problems eating!
Can it be that in a little over four months I will have a 3 year old and a 2 year old?! And I just think I'm busy now...yikes! I'm going to bed!

We Are Family!

(I started this post on Sunday...it's now Wednesday & I'm getting around to finishing it!) Last week in Texas was Spring Break, so we all decided (sort of at the last minute) to take a road trip! Shelby was in Salt Lake City for a conference so the girls & I were free to go...no since in sitting at home when we could be with family! On Wednesday we headed to the Hill Country, where my oldest sister Angie & her family live. My mom, dad, sister Kathy, her husband Andy, their three kiddos Luke, Mary Katherine & Caroline, along with Ivy Jane, Georgia Claire & I packed up & headed out bright and early Wednesday morning & made it to Angie's house late that afternoon. We spent three nights & it was a lot of fun watching all 7 cousins playing together. No one fought or had trouble getting along...they all seemed genuinely happy to be together!

I forgot my camera but my new iPhone took pretty good pics! The weather was great so we spent a lot of time outside. Caroline, Ivy Jane, & Gabe (along with Paw Paw in the background)...

Mom, Angie, Kathy & me...watching the kids right bikes, scooters, & skateboards in the street. (I MAY have gotten out in the street a time or two on a skateboard!)
Will...SO strong, crazy, fearless, a miracle. He has not been sick at all this winter & is looking GREAT! You would never know he had one lung or that he has had numerous surgeries in his lifetime! Such an inspiration...
Thursday morning we got to pick strawberries! I grew up picking blueberries & peaches at our family farm every summer from the time I was 5, but I had never had the experience of strawberry picking! It was so much fun & the "strawbies" as Ivy Jane calls them or "strawbeddies" as Georgia calls them, were DELICIOUS!
Gabe LOVES Georgia. And look at those BEAUTIFUL berries Mary Katherine is holding!
I think Georgia loves Gabe, too!
We made a trip to the James Avery headquarters & retail store where Paw Paw bought his 4 granddaughters a special gift. You can't really tell, but Ivy Jane's necklace says "Little Sister" in a heart...
And Georgia Claire's necklace says, "Big Sister".
They were both SO excited about their necklaces! Ivy Jane calls them a "nessick"! SO cute!

We were able to stay at a friend's guest house that just happens to have several acres & a creek perfect for playing! Georgia Claire & I found dandelions...
Caroline & Georgia have become best buddies. They enjoyed eating their lunch on the back patio!
Aunt Kathy put Ivy Jane's hair in pigtails for the first time ever! I love this picture...the pigtails, the play gun & the rubber boots...
Will, Paw Paw, & Georgia!

And the picture of all pictures...the lucky 7 in order from youngest to oldest...all 8 years & younger!
The trip was great, but we were so glad to get home! There truly is no place like home! I love my family & I especially enjoyed watching these sweet kiddos playing together & having so much fun!

The New Curse Word at our House

Rotavirus is the new curse word at our house! If you say it you immediately have to wash your mouth out with soap! OK, not really, but we never want to hear that word ever again! Poor Ivy Jane got sick on Sunday, February 19th, and was VERY sick for 4 days. Vomiting for 24 hours and then diarrhea every 2 hours for 3 days...yuck! Thank goodness she stayed hydrated...the pediatrician said she MIGHT have to be admitted for IV fluids but we dodged the bullet! And, praise the Lord, Georgia stayed well through it all! Shelby had a huge presentation at work & could not afford to get sick so I was Ivy Jane's caretaker. After several sleepless nights my parents came to help out on that Wednesday. Ivy Jane was still really sick, but 24 hours of Paw Paw & Grandma did the trick. By the time they were leaving Thursday afternoon she was TONS better!

Skip forward a couple of days & Rotavirus struck again! My mom & I both came down with it Saturday night. I have not been that sick in a VERY LONG TIME! It took me several days to finally get over all of the symptoms. Thank goodness Shelby was able to stay home on Monday. He took care of the girls all day on Sunday & Monday. He is a SUPER DADDY! (I told him I'd have to fire him though if he was my housekeeper!) He took Friday off, said he thought we all needed and deserved a break & we went to Mimi & Granby's house for the weekend. The girls LOVE going to their home & we always get at least one date night out of our trips! Friday we actually got to go to a movie AND out to dinner! We realized that it was the first movie we had been to since Georgia Claire was born! We were DUE!

The weather was beautiful on Saturday so we took a walk to the neighborhood park...it has a playground & a pond with ducks that the girls LOVE! They both started out in the wagon, but Georgia has decided she likes to pull it, a lot of times with Ivy Jane in it! This time, however, Ivy Jane wanted to walk, too!

Georgia LOVED playing, although it was a tad bit cold.

Walking home...tired, cold & hungry!
After Mimi's delicious supper the girls read a few books with her...
And played with Jules (Heather's fiance). Georgia LOVES JULES! She was playing with the Fisher Price little people and pulled out one with dark skin & a little bit of dark hair & she exclaimed, "A Jules People!" How right she was! Julian's family is from the Philippines & he has BEAUTIFUL dark skin that Georgia has obviously noticed. I think that was a pretty good observation for her little 2 1/2 year old self! We all just laughed & laughed when she said it. We had to get a picture of Julian, Georgia & the Jules People!
Do you think she loves him or what?! She wanted to sit right beside him & had her hand on his shoulder for a long time...
After church on Sunday with Mimi & Granby & a yummy lunch we hit the road with two sleepy girls.
Can you say EXHAUSTED?!
We had a great time! Thanks Mimi & Granby for the WONDERFUL weekend!