Flashback Friday

First off, I know that I am super behind on my blogging. I really am going to try to catch up on what's been going on with us, but today I just wanted to do a quick picture post. So, here ya go...Flashback Friday!

This is Ike and I on our wedding day, May 26, 2001.

This past weekend Ike and I celebrated our 10th anniversary (a little early since it's not actually until May 26th) with a "wedding redo" photo shoot. The pictures turned out great, and we had a good time getting all dressed up again! Here is a preview of our session.  Our wonderful photographer Kelly Williams did an awesome job! Check out her work here: www.thebondbetweenus.com

I am not sure about you, but I think we look even better today than we did 10 years ago!  Thanks again Kelly for all your hard work on my "wedding redo" project!

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas, Finally!

I'm not sure what the deal is, but it has taken me and unusually long time to get my decorations up this year.  I just couldn't get in the mood or find the time.  So, over the weekend, I finally just buckled down and did here.  Here are a few pictures of my decorations.  We don't normally go all out or anything.  With small kids in the house, I just would rather not spend all of December telling them not to touch things.

My Precious Moments Nativity.  I collected the pieces over a few years, but since we got the piano this year, I decided that this would be a safe place for me to put it.

This beautiful ornament was part of our Christmas portrait package from Kelly Williams of The Bond Between Us.  I think is it awesome!  She ordered them from a seller on Etsy.

With kids in the house, and advent calendar is a must.  I got this one from Hallmark when Emma was little, and I just love it.  All the little ornaments have magnets and stick onto the tree.  The star even plays a song when you press it.  The best part if the hidden pocket between the bottom two tiers of the tree where you keep all the ornaments.

This shelf in my dining room is filled with random items that really don't have another home. Madeline has already enjoyed rearranging them, and even breaking one of my snowmen.

Our Christmas tree, all decorated and ready for presents. After I took this picture I realized how sad it looked with no presents, so I wrapped some, but didn't take any photos. :-(

Here she is again, all lit up.  I turned the lights off for this shot, and I really like how all the colored lights are showing on the wall. 

Thanksgiving recap - just in time for Christmas!

I started off Thanksgiving with a week long visit from my sister Erin, her husband and her little boy, who is 6 months younger than Madeline. We had a great time. Since she lives far away, we rarely get to spend that much time together at once, and we made the most of it. We baked for a whole day, we crafted, we shopped, and we even ventured out on Black Friday. We were in line at Old Navy at 10pm for a midnight opening, then headed to Walmart after that. Although the trip was a little stressful, considering the crazed redneck lady that tried to break in line at Old Navy once the door opened, it was a successful trip. I was able to get some Old Navy jeans for $15 for me and Ike, and I got our whole family fleece jackets at Walmart for $7 each! I love a good deal!

The actual Thanksgiving meal was at my mom's house this year, and it was full of activity. We ate, played, and just enjoyed each others company. The house was so full. We had two little ones under 2, two 7 year olds, and one in between those. So to say the house was nuts is a little bit of an understatement. The kids had a great time together though. My sister Erin and I made the kids cute shirts with turkey's on them, and I think they turned out well. I did not come up with the turkey shirt idea by myself though, I got it from an Etsy shop, then just drew it out.  I'm not very creative on my own, so I have to "borrow" ideas from other bloggers and crafters.

Here are some pics of the kids in their cute shirts.

Wordless Wednesday for Decemeber 1, 2010

Camp out - Take two

Emma is always asking to go camping, but it's just such a pain to have to actually go to a campground, and I don't think Madeline would sleep in a tent.  Last year we tried to camp out in my mom and dad's backyard, and we had a decent time, but it got cold after the sun set, and Emma wouldn't sleep in the tent.  She also complained about the noise of the traffic coming from the road near my parents house.  So, basically we put up the tent, sat in our camp chairs, made smores and played with sparklers.

This year, Emma wanted to try it again.  So, a few weeks ago we decided to try it out at our house instead.  We live in a really quiet neighborhood, and it was looking like the weather would be good, so we just went for it.  Ike helped me, and we spend a good part of the day cleaning off the back porch, getting the tent set up, readying the fire pit, and moving around the patio furniture.  By the time Emma got home, everything was ready to go.  We spent the afternoon and night playing outside in the backyard as a family and it was so much fun.  Emma and Ike slept in the tent, and Madeline and I went back inside to sleep.  I just didn't feel comfortable having her in the house alone.

Here are some pictures from our night.

Our new fire pit/bowl.  It worked out great, and we can't wait to use it again.

Madeline loved playing in the big tent.  

Ike had a great time cutting up some limbs for us to use as firewood.  Ha!

This was Emma's play tent from when she was little. Madeline loved going in and out of it.

Check out Madeline trying to eat one of the GIANT marshmallows that we got to make smores with.

Madeline loves to be outside!

I had to put this shot of her with the marshmallow in her mouth.  It was so huge!  She wanted to do it all by herself.

It was a full moon that night, and I tried my best to get a decent shot of it.

Madeline had a blast bouncing around on Ike's air mattress.

Trying to get a good picture of Emma these days is getting harder and harder.  She never wants me to take her picture, and it's like pulling teeth to get her to smile.

Infant and Pregnancy Loss Remembrance Day

October 15th is Infant and Pregnancy Loss Remembrance Day. I know many women including myself who have experienced the loss of a child, so I just wanted to post this to help raise awareness. This day was created for those who are suffering or may know someone who has suffered a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, a still birth, or the loss of an infant.

I lost a child in April of 2008. It was an ectopic pregnancy and I never even got to hear the heartbeat, but the loss was devastating all the same. We had been trying for a year to get pregnant and with the help of clomid, we thought our dream of having a second child had come true. Sadly, two days after getting a positive HPT, were were told that I would lose the baby. It was such a sad time for me, and I really didn't have anyone to talk to. I turned to the Internet and realized that I was not alone in my grief.

The grief of losing a child is very real, whether or not you were able to hold your child on earth. Society has somewhat put this type of grief on the backburner and failed to recognize the loss of a pregnancy or an infant as a real loss. Some well meaning people, even women, will say things like "you can try again", or "just be thankful you weren't further along". While I am sure that the people that say these things mean no harm, their words are very hurtful.

So, today, please remember those who have lost a child. Their pain and loss is real, and their child's life, no matter how short, had weight.

You can check out www.october15th.com for more information.

I'll leave you with a bible verse:

Psalm 139:13-16
 13 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.
 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.
 15 My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
 16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

Plowboy Day - Winnersville 2010

This week marks and important time for our town.  It's Winnersville Week!  Basically this means that we will play our cross town rivals in football on Friday night, and that this week is full of activities at the local schools.  This week at Emma's school, they had a chance to dress up each day.  They were out Monday for Fall Break, but the schedule looked something like this:
Tuesday: Twin Day
Wednesday: Tacky Day
Thursday: Plowboy Day
Friday: Viking Spirit Day

Emma didn't have a "twin" for Tuesday, so she didn't dress up.  Wednesday was tacky day, and I had a really tacky outfit all picked out for her to wear, but when it came time to get dressed that morning, she wouldn't do it.  She said she didn't want anyone to make fun of her.  I tried to explain that everyone would be tacky, but she wouldn't do it. But today, she dressed up with no problem.

Our teams mascot is the Viking, but for as long as I can remember, our nickname is the plowboys.  If I remember the story correctly, when they started the county school system as we know it today, and built the high school back in the 60's, most of the areas of the county that were divided off to go to the new school were full of farms and "rednecks".  So, since there were so many farmers, the city school started calling us plowboys.

Anyway, I said all of that to show you a few pictures of Emma dressed up this morning.