Hairr Family

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2012-02-15T08:15:00.002-06:00

Caitlin is a snooze alarm type of girl. Every morning I go in early and "try" to get her up. She will always say, "Five more minutes". And I come back in 5-10 minutes. This morning I go in to "wake" her. I ask if she needs five minutes. She immediately gets out of bed. I turn to walk out of the room and she falls on the floor. I say, "Caitlin what happened?" She doesn't answer. I say, "Do you need a few more minutes?" As she drags herself back towards the bed she says, "yeah I think a few more minutes would be good". Crazy girl!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T09:09:00.003-06:00

The girls LOVED getting Valentines in the mail from all the grandparents yesterday. Thank you for sending the cards and the goodies. They each loved them!!

These are the goodies we (meaning I) made for Caitlin's class. She didn't want to do the easy dipped marshmallows again. She wanted to do cake pops. I vetoed that and instead tried oreo truffle pops. I wasn't sure how they would fare on a stick, but I think they did pretty good. She was excited about handing them out, at least.

"I Want Self"

2012-02-14T08:37:00.000-06:00

Alaina is a very picky eater. So when she wants to eat something healthy, we have to take advantage of the opportunity. Saturday, she wanted to eat some yogurt. And she wanted to do it all by herself. I had just gotten her out of the bath, so I thought it was perfect. She wouldn't get it all over her clothes.

Every time I tried to help her, she would say. "I want self!"

She did pretty good. Only dropped it on her belly a few times.

Later that day, we went to Menchie's. She was SO excited. She ran in screaming, "Menchie." She liked the free 3D glasses they gave her.

Also, she recently had her 2 year checkup. She was 85% in height and 51% for weight.

Getting things done . . .

2012-02-13T08:37:00.000-06:00

I had a productive Saturday. I cleaned out my closet recently and finally logged everything and took it all to Goodwill. 7 bags of clothes and a basket full of shoes.

I ordered these vinyl sayings probably TWO years ago. I couldn't figure out how to hang them. It was very frustrating. Well, I finally tried again and for some reason had no problem. I'm glad I didn't get frustrated and throw them away. I love how they turned out. This one is over our front doow.

And this one is in my studio.

I also reorganized my props and backdrops. Love it!

The new fort

2012-02-08T09:25:00.002-06:00

This is what Caitlin's bed looks like 99% of the time. It was SO frustrating for me. All I wanted was her bed to look nice. But she loved sleeping like this. She stole Alaina's toy turtle that lights up and shoot star constellations on the ceiling (thanks Becky!) and now sleeps like this each night.

So a permanent solution had to be found.

Thanks to Google, I found an easy solution. A tension rod and a twin sheet and Voila!

She LOVES it because it can stay up permanently. I LOVE it because it is so neat.

I do think I need a more sturdy tension rod, though. This one bows in the middle.

Yummy!

2012-02-06T12:51:00.002-06:00

So I made two new recipes to take to Emily's for the Superbowl get together. They both turned out SO good!! So I thought I would share. Your welcome!

Garlic Chicken Puffs
Ingredients:
* 4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
* 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
* ½ cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
* 2 cans (8 Oz. Can) Refrigerator Crescent Rolls

Instructions:
Mix cream cheese, garlic and chicken until well blended.

Unroll crescent rolls and cut each triangle into 2 triangles. (When you unroll the crescent rolls, 2 triangles are attached, making a big square. You can just cut from there, following the perforation for one cut, and make another cut from the other corners, giving you 4 little triangles.)

Place 1 teaspoon of chicken mixture on the center of each triangle and fold the corners in over the creamy mixture.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 11-14 minutes.

Cookies n Cream Cheesecakes

42 Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped

2 pounds (32 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275°. Line standard muffin pans with liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed using an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving. Best served really cold! You can garnish with fresh whipped cream and crumbled Oreos if desired.

Makes 30 cheesecakes.

Studio Fun

2012-02-06T08:48:00.001-06:00

Someone is a little obsessed with my studio. Every time we go in there, Alaina says "Pictures" in her cute little way. So I've been using her as my guinea pig trying out some new settings.

I bought a few pieces of fabric to simulate some wallpaper walls. A cheap fix but I like how it turned out!

And here's some of Caitlin . . .

Drastic times call for drastic measures!

2012-02-02T08:43:00.000-06:00

We are tired of getting Alaina up from bed and finding her diaper off! She has figured out how to undress herself and likes to do that at naptime or when she wakes in the mornings.

So we are now at the point of duct taping her diaper on (and needing to focus on potty training).

I know it looks like we are torturing her with the duct tape. She just didn't want to lay down so I could take a picture. (Just another form of torture, I guess). I know - mom of the year!

She's definitely TWO

2012-02-02T08:36:00.003-06:00

Last night, we went to CiCi's Pizza for some dinner with the Sutherlands. The girls like to play in the little arcade after they are done eating and we always sit where we can see them. After about 15 minutes of them playing, Caitlin runs over to me and says that she lifted Alaina up to see the basketballs (in the Pop-a-Shot game) and then she climbed in and wouldn't come out.

Where you see her here is where you shoot the basketballs into. She had crawled under where the basketballs come out and got into the game. You couldn't just grab her out - we had to coax her back under. I tried being upset about it, but then each time I looked at her in her little jail, I just laughed.

She was raised by animals and almost died . . .

2012-01-28T21:45:00.001-06:00

Today, the girls and I were eating lunch and I look over at Caitlin and her mouth is crammed full of food. She had stuffed it full of the last of her lunch and could barely even chew. I, of course, started to lecture her on manners and why it was rude to eat like she was raised by animals. I take another bite of my lunch and then Caitlin starts choking. She was seriously choking. There was panic in her eyes. I jumped up, hit her on the back, put my arms around her for the heimlich. I think I squeezed 2-3 times. I don't even think my hands were in the right place or was anywhere close to the right technique but finally the food came out. I just had to sit down, hug her and cry a little. There had been a split second of panic where I thought, "This isn't working. I can't handle this!" And then it was all over and everything was fine. I've been saying some extra prayers of thanks today!!

New pictures

2012-01-28T21:37:00.001-06:00

I had to set my studio back up this weekend after doing a wedding so I used Caitlin and Alaina as my "models".

Then today, in between client sessions, Alaina wanted to take some more pictures. She loved to pose and then look at the camera at herself.

Can you tell her shoes are on the wrong feet?

She likes to put them on herself.

Harrison, part 2

2012-01-23T09:21:00.001-06:00

While in Virginia, we did 3 photo shoots with Harrison. We used natural light on the first two and had to use flash for the last day because of the weather. I LOVE how these turned out!!

These are some funny ones from the first day. These were the last two of the day. We knew he was done after these.

Lara took of some of us in action.

Harrison, part 1

2012-01-23T08:46:00.003-06:00

Last week, I got to go visit Lara and Jeff and finally meet Harrison. What a cutie!! 6 weeks old and sleeping 7 hours a night. Perfect baby!!!

Look what Southwest did to my bag! Luckily, Lara and Jeff had an extra bag they didn't need.

Here's me enjoying Harrison!

I think he loved me! :)

Seriously . . . again?

2012-01-11T08:26:00.002-06:00

I think Alaina is just prone to hematomas! Caitlin NEVER had one of these. Now this is Alaina's second in a few months. I left her on the bed while I got Caitlin some paper to do her homework. She tried to get off the bed and hit my bedside table and scraped her chin. I soothed her and put her back on the floor and went back to get the paper. Then she followed me and started climbing up on my chair to get to my desk. Crash again - I threw the paper at Caitlin so she could get started and soothed Alaina again. It was several minutes before I realized the bump. DANG!!

Turn your back for 3 minutes and this happens

2012-01-09T21:53:00.001-06:00

She's a sneaky little booger!! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Opinions please!

2012-01-06T09:45:00.000-06:00

Caitlin's baptism is in 6 months. I've started planning early so I won't be stressed and so I can do all the things I want to do. I want to have a photo session with her in the spring in her white dress and use those for the invitations and program. So I need to get the dress in the next couple of months. Here are some contenders:

And these are more than I want to spend, but OMG - GORGEOUS!!!

Family Pictures

2012-01-04T08:42:00.001-06:00

In October, we had our family pictures taken.

Thank you to Candice Schenk for taking them for us!

Here are my favorites!

I had to bribe Alaina with candy to get her to cooperate. She just wanted to run!

Christmas

2011-12-27T10:28:00.001-06:00

Rusty's dad came to visit the day before Christmas so the girls got to open a few gifts early.

They loved it!

Thank you Papa Larry!

Christmas morning - ready for the girls . . .

Caitlin couldn't wait to see what Santa brought! She was up at 3:30 in the morning. I heard her walking around and told her that it was still the middle of the night. She looked around at what Santa brought and then went back to sleep.

Alaina LOVES what Santa brought her - a plasmacar!

Last Christmas we had snow. But this year, we will have to wait to try out the sled!

Showing off her real cowboy boots!

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T10:29:00.000-06:00

Weekend Misc

2011-12-21T06:22:00.000-06:00

I bought these stickers more than two years ago for Alaina's nursery. I got them on clearance and just never thought they fit in her room. So this weekend, the girls and I decorated the playroom and made a flower wall. We had fun deciding where each one needed to go. (And don't worry Rusty, they are removable!)

This year's letter to Santa from Caitlin.

Dear Santa, What I want for crismas is a red harmonaka. I dont think that you come to the mall and take notes about what pepele whant. Can you give my sister a elmow toy. She rely whants it. Thank you for all the wonderfal crismuses. Your frind Caitlin.

I thought it was super sweet she included her little sister in her wishlist and thanked him for past Christmases. Love that girl!!

Skating

2011-12-20T08:17:00.000-06:00

Caitlin was invited to a birthday party this weekend at the skating rink. It was her first time and it was rough! She fell down so many times! I kept thinking "Wow, that one had to hurt" and "She's got to be done after that." But she kept going. She was determined to keep going round and round, even long after her friends were done.

The girls have a new cousin!

2011-12-19T08:25:00.001-06:00

Look at this sweet, sweet face!!!

This is little Harrison and I am going to visit him in 31 days!!

80s Party

2011-12-19T08:16:00.002-06:00

Friday night was Carisa's 4th Annual White Elephant Party - theme of the 80s. Every year in the past I have had some conflict and have not been able to go. Finally this year I could go. I LOVED my 80s outfit - it was so comfy!

You can't tell in this picture, but I did have a skirt on!

Rocking the big hoop earrings and blue eye shadow!

Loved the cake!!

This was my "fabulous" present. Oddly enough, nobody stole it from me. Hmm . . .

Caitlin LOVED it - I've really got to work on her fashion sense!

Turning 2

2011-12-15T09:32:00.001-06:00

Last night was Alaina's birthday party. We just had family over for cake and ice cream.

She LOVES Elmo!

She loved the blown up balloons too. Who knew it took something so little to excite her so much. Before everyone got there, she ran around and around chasing them and hitting them.

She wasn't sure about everyone singing to her.

But she did a great job blowing out her own candle. It only took a few tries but she did it all by herself!

She loved opening her presents.

She was extremely thorough and made sure she got every little scrap of wrapping paper off each one.

She didn't understand why we didn't open each one so she could play. Here she was trying to use her teeth to open the bath toy.

She got an Elmo doll.

She LOVED her babydolls and stroller.

Thank you to all the family for the wonderful gifts, phone calls, & emails on her special day!

This is a house in my neighborhood

2011-12-14T08:53:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Alaina!

2011-12-14T08:52:00.001-06:00

Today Alaina is TWO!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Mommy/Caitlin time

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Caitlin wanted to go to the Discovery Center for some more mommy time.

She made several friends while playing.

Helping change a tire.

Rock climbing.

Felt Playhouse . . . finished in time

2011-12-12T08:39:00.001-06:00

Several months ago I posted my beginnings of a playhouse for the girls - here. I had two sides completely cut out and pinned together and had it that way for a month before I got out my sewing machine. I was procrastinating. My sewing machine and I have a love-hate relationship. I love to think I can learn to sew and then hate it when it proves me wrong.

Anyway, a week ago, I finally got it out. I was afraid I was running out of time to have it ready for Christmas morning. I put the girls to bed and started sewing. My stitches kept coming out and it was too loud for Caitlin to go to sleep. Since the only time I had to sew was when the girls were sleeping, I had to come up with a new plan.

Thankfully, Heather, my sister that seems to have no problems at all sewing like I do, agreed to help me. Seriously, in three days, she had everything sewed together. (Is is sewed or sewn? I don't know.) It was ALOT of sewing!! I wanted it to be interactive not just decorative so that added to the amount that needed to be sewn.

Anyway, she did a FABULOUS job, don't you think??

It hangs over some on the floor but I think the girls won't mind. I obviously have issues with measuring and cutting as well. OH WELL!!!

The flowers can be picked (they are velcroed on). There is also a watering car that they can "water" the flowers with.

Front door. I can see Caitlin writing many letters to leave in the mailbox.

The apple tree. The apples can be "picked" and put into the basket. Heather had the great idea to leave the top of the basket unsewn so they can slip them in to the basket.

The doghouse with a doggy door. Caitlin will LOVE this one!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH HEATHER!!!!!

Comparison

2011-12-02T06:19:00.000-06:00

I've been organizing all my photos recently and I am shocked how much Caitlin and Alaina look alike. See if you agree:

Sock Puppets

2011-12-01T09:08:00.001-06:00

Every year, I put back a few of the gifts Caitlin gets for birthday/Christmas to pull out at random times. Otherwise, she will play with all of them and get overwhelmed or tired of them. This seems to make them last longer. Well, sometimes, I put them back too well and lose track of them. This happened with the sock puppet kit. Sorry to who ever bought these for her!!

We found the kit the other day and I felt bad that we forgot all about it. Caitlin was so excited to make these. She made them yesterday all on her own. By the time I got home from work, she had them ready to play. They turned out SO cute!

Thanksgiving - traveling to Virginia

2011-11-29T08:51:00.000-06:00

We were very worried about Alaina on the plane but she did really well. The takeoff and landing were just fine. The only thing she didn't like were the rules. She didn't want to sit still in my lap - she wanted to stand up and play with the fan and lights. She did NOT want to turn off and put away all electronics! Don't tell, but I let her slide on this one. I hid my phone when any flight attendants walked by and let her play with it. It was either break the rule or have her scream and annoy everyone around me. I stand by my decision! :)

Caitlin took a video of our landing.

Leaves

2011-11-29T08:35:00.000-06:00

Lara raked all the leaves in her yard and let the girls play and jump in them.

Jumping in the leaves.

The leaf monster.

Chickens and Ducks

2011-11-29T08:28:00.000-06:00

Caitlin enjoyed the farm so much, Lara talked to a lady in her ward that has chickens and ducks and arranged for Caitlin to get to come over and play and gather eggs.

Collecting the eggs.

Feeding the ducks worms.

Feeding the chickens.

Caitlin adored all the animals, but I think this one was her favorite.

Or maybe this one.

By the end, she was able to catch the chickens and feed them out of her hands.

Her first attempt at trying to catch a chicken.

Helping the ducks "fly"

Feeding the ducks worms.

Nature hike

2011-11-29T08:20:00.000-06:00

Lara and I took the girls to the park to walk the trails.

Caitlin loved the seagulls.

Alaina loved being able to run!

Playing in the leaves.

We spotted a deer.

I LOVE this video. It shows the differences in my girls. Caitlin running wild and free. Alaina being more observational.

Later in the week, we took Nanny Glo back with us and we went to feed the seagulls. Before we even got to the seagulls, we saw a squirrel eating a snack. After it ran away, Caitlin left some Cheerios on the rail for the squirrels.

The seagulls like Cheerios!

Love this picture of Caitlin leaping in the air, throwing the Cheerios.

You can't see it very well, but there were two squirrels enjoying the Cheerio snack that Caitlin left for them.

Swimming on base

2011-11-29T08:15:00.000-06:00

The base nearby has this great indoor water facility. We got to take the girls swimming. Caitlin got in the pool and then went straight to the slide. We didn't talk to her again until time to leave. She did the slide over and over and over again. She loved it!

Alaina did pretty good in the water. The more she is in the water, the better she gets.

Bluebird Gap Farm

2011-11-29T08:07:00.000-06:00

There was a free farm close to Lara's that we went to. They had all kinds of animals that Caitlin could play with and a playground for Alaina.

Gobble, gobble!

Alaina wanted nothing to do with the animals, but she wore the slide out!

Feeding the goats.

I LOVE this picture of Alaina!!

Lara and I tried to get a good picture of Alaina in the pretty yellow leaves. She was NOT having it. Here are some pictures of her fit!

Christmas Parade

2011-11-29T07:18:00.000-06:00

Lara and I took the girls to the local parade.

Waiting for it to start.

Finally, it began!

We enjoyed watching all the floats do the limbo under the traffic light.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T07:06:00.000-06:00

We went to the mall before Thanksgiving and look who was already there!!

Caitlin, as always, loves Santa.

Alaina did not want to get near Santa at first. Then she heard him say he would give her some treats. She jumped right on over and I finally got a non-screaming Santa picture!

Caitlin holding Uncle Jeff's sword.

Alaina LOVED Grandaddy Loy!! She was teaching him how to use the ipad here.

Alaina and Nanny Glo "exercising".

Riding the horsey.

Caitlin and Nanny Glo. Caitlin LOVED playing with Nanny Glo. They played schooled for hours, literally!!

Caitlin enjoyed Lara and Jeff's hot tub. She swore she just wanted to put her feet in.

10 minutes later, she "slipped" and was totally soaked.

Trying to get a group picture.

This is as good as it got.

Ah, thanksgiving dinner.

It was so yummy!

How does she come up with these things?

2011-11-28T08:45:00.001-06:00

I don't even know when Caitlin created this but I found it over the weekend. How does she think of these things? With paper and tape, she can make ANYTHING!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-11-28T08:41:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, Caitlin and I put up the Christmas decorations. It has become tradition that Caitlin helps me with the ornaments on the tree. She loves finding her ornaments and picking a special place for them on the tree.

Caitlin picking a spot for her rooster ornament - her favorite.

Each year, I buy a few new ornaments to add to the tree that fit my theme of red, gold and white.

Here's two new ones.

My nativity I painted.

Cake FAIL

2011-11-28T08:38:00.001-06:00

After church yesterday, Rusty wanted a cake. The girls were nicely playing upstairs, so we made a cake together. Rusty wanted to try and make it with soda like we had both heard about, so we experimented. We tried to make the double layer, like we've done before. Neither slice came out of the greased pan evenly, so this is what we were left with. FAIL!!! I didn't even try and make it pretty with icing!

I Am Thankful

2011-11-25T13:32:00.000-06:00

For my little family!!

We laugh, we play, we love!!

I Am Thankful

2011-11-24T13:28:00.000-06:00

For this little girl!

She is strong willed and independent, but loving.

I am lucky to be her mommy!

And I thank God for her every day!

I Am Thankful

2011-11-23T13:26:00.000-06:00

For this girl!

She is sensitive, funny, smart and beautiful.

She is a deep thinker and she keeps me on my toes.

I am lucky to be her mom!

And I thank God for her every day!

I Am Thankful

2011-11-22T13:23:00.000-06:00

For this man

He makes me a better person. He is my best friend.

He makes me laugh.

He is my rock!

He is a great father!

And loves his girls!

I Am Thankful

2011-11-21T13:30:00.000-06:00

To be a mother!

It took us a while to get there, not as long as others, but we are so lucky!

Fishy faces

2011-11-16T07:57:00.000-06:00

Our weekend

2011-11-16T06:54:00.000-06:00

I wake up Saturday to some sweet notes all over the house. What a great girl Caitlin is!!

Alaina loves to play in my makeup drawer. Usually she finds the lip gloss only.

Today she found the real stuff.

She's been playing with the iphone camera alot lately. Here are her self portraits.

How did she do this?

2011-11-15T07:51:00.000-06:00

Friday, I was at work and I get a call from Rusty. We Facetime and talk and he said Alaina was messing with his laptop and rearranged the screen. He didn't know how to fix it back. So he showed me his screen.
Look at what she did! Every icon was rotated counter clockwise.

So I hang up and google. I guess it is a common occurence in Dell laptops because the solution was found easily. CTRL + ALT + Right Arrow. I guess she had randomly hit CTRL + ALT + Left Arrow to change it.

Goose Egg

2011-11-14T07:56:00.001-06:00

Yesterday after church, we had just gotten home. Rusty and I were talking, about to start dinner. Alaina was running around. I saw that she was over by her high chair. She likes to climb up in it and usually does a great job. Today, not so much. We weren't watching and just heard a crash and immediate crying. I went and got her and took her to see Rusty. She was laying her head on my shoulder. I look back at Rusty and saw his face. I immediately knew something was wrong with her. It scared me to death!! I pull her away from me so I can see what it is. She had an immediate swelling on her head. Like you would see in a boxing/MMA match - a hematoma.

She wouldn't let us put an ice pack on it. (I don't blame her!) We immediately call the pediatrician and left a message for the doctor on call. We googled head injuries in toddlers and there weren't any warning signs that she was exhibiting. I talked to the nurse line with my insurance and while I was doing that, the doctor called and Rusty talked to her. While we were doing all of that, Alaina stopped crying, and started playing with the ipad, running around the house, giggling - back to her normal self. After all of that, we felt like she was okay. YAY no ER trip!!

She does have a good goose egg, though!!

Another book review

2011-11-14T07:46:00.001-06:00

Just finished this one this week and LOVED it too.

Chicken Chili

2011-11-14T07:41:00.001-06:00

I've been trying to eat healthier. I downloaded myfitnesspal to track my calories and activity. So last week, I made this easy chili. It says four servings, but I ate at least 3 times, Rusty ate once and the girls ate some and there is still enough left over for one more meal.

366 calories per servings - and that would be for 4 very large servings. Enjoy!

Cooking spray

2 tsp minced garlic
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cans chicken meat, undrained
16 oz can chili beans, undrained
14.5 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup frozen corn

Coat a 4 quart saucepan with cooking spray. Place pan over medium high heat until hot; add garlic and onion. Cook 3 minutes, stirring often. In pan, add all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

And this is what Alaina did while I made the chili.

Silly girl!!!

Newest crafts

2011-11-11T11:30:00.000-06:00

Saturday was craft day at my house. Heather came over and we painted and crafted. I have the goal of finishing three crafts for myself, three for gifts and the playhouse for the girls. I was starting to panic that I would run out of time.

But I got these two done - my Christmas countdown blocks and the HOME blocks (on my mantle below).

I also got all the painting done for 3 more of the other crafts/gifts and one of the gifts completely finished.

Now I'm not as panicked!

Elmo

2011-11-11T08:09:00.002-06:00

Alaina LOVES Elmo. She has just started to watch little clippets of TV. She definitely does not have the interest in watching a whole movie or even a 30 minute show. But she loves Elmo so yesterday, I found some little clips of Elmo on YouTube and she couldn't get enough! This one was Adam Sandler singing a rhyming song with Elmo.

90 Minutes in Heaven

2011-11-10T08:14:00.000-06:00

I love to read! Have since I was a kid. I love the kindle app on my ipad and am never without a book. I recently discovered that I can check books out through the READs program online and open them with my Kindle app. Saves me a TON of money!! Usually, I read fiction, murder mysteries, thrillers. But I saw a book title that intrigued me and I checked it out.

Synopsis:
"As he is driving home from a minister's conference, Baptist minister Don Piper collides with a semi-truck that crosses into his lane. He is pronounced dead at the scene. For the next 90 minutes, Piper experiences heaven where he is greeted by those who had influenced him spiritually. He hears beautiful music and feels true peace.

Back on earth, a passing minister who had also been at the conference is led to pray for Don even though he knows the man is dead. Piper miraculously comes back to life and the bliss of heaven is replaced by a long and painful recovery.

For years Piper kept his heavenly experience to himself. Finally, however, friends and family convinced him to share his remarkable story."

I'll admit, I really just wanted to read what he said about heaven. That was only one chapter, but it is one of the most uplifting stories I have read. It is a story of love, hope, God, service and modern day miracles - I am better for having read it. So if you are looking for a book to read - I give it 5 stars!!

Love this girl!

2011-11-09T10:27:00.000-06:00

Last night, we had a family dinner for the "Bens" birthdays (Ben Love and Ben Smith). Alaina was restless waiting for dinner, so I let her play with my phone. She found the camera app and wanted to take a picture. That has NEVER happened. She actually WANTED a picture and cooperated!

I wish they weren't such bad quality. With Chili's lighting and the front facing camera quality, there wasn't much hope of a good picture, but I still love them.

Lately, Alaina will randomly hug us. It is so cute how affectionate she is becoming.

Conversation with a 7 year old

2011-11-03T08:26:00.000-05:00

This was our conversation while getting ready this morning.

C: Is damn a bad word?

Me: Yes. We don't say that.

C: But you say it.

Me: Uh, no I don't.

C: Oh that's right, you say darn. Is it bad when I say "Is damn a bad word?"

Me: No since you were just asking if it was a bad word.

C: A girl in my class thinks I'm saying a cuss word if I ask what jackass means?

Me: Caitlin that's a cuss word that we don't say.

C: But what does it mean?

Me: It means a donkey.

She laughs.

C: Yeah, and ass is just a bad word for your bootie. People at school ask if I know the B word, or the F word. I don't know what those are. It's all so confusing.

Me: Yes those are all cuss words and we don't say them.

WOW, I had no idea she knew any cuss words. At least she knows they are bad and we don't say them. I guess you can't keep them in a bubble. You can only teach them how to be good and strong with bad around them.

Horses

2011-11-03T05:06:00.000-05:00

Adjusting her stirrups because she seemed to grow several inches in the last two weeks!

Trotting in the arena.

Patty said that Caitlin is the only student this young that has never complained about trotting and wants to keep going. She wasn't sore at all last time and Patty told her she would be. She said that Caitlin has a natural "seat". She explained that when you trot, usually there is a lot of bouncing up and down in the seat, which causes the soreness. Caitlin naturally doesn't bounce that much and that normally needs to be taught.

I just love watching her ride. She loves it so much. Normally with things we've tried in the past (gymnastics, softball, dance), she's excited about it but doesn't listen very well and after a few weeks, doesn't really care anymore. Not with horseriding! She can't wait for each lesson. And each time, asks to learn something new and try something harder. Tonight she was asking about barrell racing for money prizes. Patty said she would be running in no time!

I took several videos of Caitlin since I had the better camera with me.

This one is her practicing her steering Blaze within the obstacles.

Once she got that, she was able to take him into the arena.

Steering Blaze around barrells in the arena.

Steering over obstacles.

A few more from Halloween

2011-11-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

From my other camera . . .

This "costume" was a glimpse into what she's going to be like as a teenager. (Not the vampire part, but the makeup.) Does anyone else think she's going to be a knockout? I admit, I'm biased.

Why is it that once I put all this makeup on her,

she instantly began acting like a teenager with the attitude??

Halloween

2011-11-01T08:27:00.003-05:00

We had a scary vampire.

With LOTS of makeup on. I refused to do the gory bloody vampire but I would do some fun makeup and eyelashes. We also "died" her hair. We sprayed it black with some purple highlights but you can't tell very much in the pictures.

And I got her some vampire teeth but they hurt her mouth

and she didn't want to wear them.

Oh well, pretty easy for a $10 costume.

And then we have our bunny.

She LOVED her costume and wore it all night.

Alaina lasted the entire street, both sides.

Once she realized people were giving her candy,

she went up to each door and handed them her bag.

She even tried to say trick or treat.

It ended up sounding more like treat.

She has her priorities!

When we got back to the house, she didn't want to take off her costume.

And only did take it off when we had a fall from Caitlin's bed and a bloody nose.

Trick or Treat!!

We went around our neighborhood with the Sutherlands. Here's some pictures Giselle took.

Trotting

2011-10-25T11:08:00.002-05:00

Caitlin can trot now.

Someone's ready for the game this weekend . . .

2011-10-14T06:04:00.000-05:00

Caitlin has been wanting her own LSU shirt for a while. Mommy and daddy have plenty of them and she has long since outgrown the ones we had for her as a baby.

So we just ordered everyone in the family something new that is purple and gold.

I think a family fan picture is in store soon.

Can anyone tell what this is?

2011-10-13T06:42:00.000-05:00

It looks like a bird exploded!!

Yesterday, when Caitlin got home from school, she saw a hawk right here in this spot EATING ANOTHER BIRD. This is the remains. YUCK!!

Potty Training

2011-10-12T06:56:00.000-05:00

We are slowly starting to potty train. I'm definitely not rushing it!

I also have a picture of her crawling up the stairs naked but I thought better about putting that one on the blog. No, it will be saved for when boys come to pick her up for a date.

First Haircut

2011-10-11T06:58:00.000-05:00

BEFORE

She had such good pigtails but if they weren't up, it just looked like a fabulous mullet!

AFTER

It looked much better after a bath and her curls came back. It looks pretty much the same style, just no mullet!

Heaven = the Beach

2011-10-10T09:25:00.003-05:00

Driving

I was nervous about the drive. Alaina is NOT the best in the car. After about 30 minutes, she's done!

I did my research. I had the ipad loaded with Elmo, Barney and Dora. I bought a few new toys to pull out in times of desperation. And I packed all her favorite toys and snacks.

It worked for a few hours.

Finally, I had to move to the back seat. With me back there, though, she was entertained. I could hand her whatever she wanted. We sang songs, read books, ate snacks. It went much better than expected!

The Condo

Here was our view of the beach from the condo balcony. Anyone that knows me, knows that this is all I need to relax and be in heaven!!

Alaina LOVED the condo. She ran around happy and hyper the whole time. I guess having a new place for her to explore was what she needed to relax.

Caitlin LOVED having the bunk beds to relax in.

Alaina found a new friend on the trip. She fell in love with Caitlin's Zhu Zhu Roxie. She calls her Rocky and couldn't go anywhere without her.

We all enjoyed the balcony. Alaina played.

Caitlin relaxed and posed.

Alaina was catching up on her work.

Me, I just enjoyed nature.

Two days in a row, we also saw pods of dolphins. Amazing!

The Beach

The first day at the beach didn't go so well.

Alaina didn't really like the sand, except to lick it.

But Caitlin made friends.

And found at least 5 jellyfish!

Alaina just explored.

I LOVE this picture of my little family!!

The second day went much better. Alaina played in the sand with her bucket and shovel.

She did not want anything to do with the ocean though.

Caitlin played in the sand . . .

And learned to boogie board in the ocean. Too bad the ocean was very calm for most of the trip. Good for the nervous mommy. Bad for the courageous daughter!

By the last day, Alaina actually enjoyed the beach. She covered herself in sand and would RUN into the ocean waves.

She loved walking up and down the beach. She made many new "friends".

Finally on the last day, the ocean had some waves. She rode them all by herself since daddy was playing golf and I was chasing Alaina all over the beach.

Pool Time

We also enjoyed time at the pool. The water was cold to me but Caitlin did NOT care!

This was our first real vacation, just us four together. We had a really good time. I loved being with them and making some great family memories.

BOO

2011-10-08T17:33:00.001-05:00

I'm all ready for Fall/Halloween! My decorations might not be much, but they make me happy.

Next up is cleaning the kitchen. Forgive the background of this picture!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Horses

2011-09-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

Caitlin is getting so much better at steering Rocky, who can be stubborn at times. Today she was all on her own, maneuvering Rocky around cones and over obstacles.

She told Mrs Patty that she wanted to gallop and even though she's not ready for that yet, Patty held on to the reins and ran with Rocky so Caitlin could "gallop." Caitlin quickly realized she's not really ready for that but she enjoyed it.

Mrs Patty took her out into the open ring to do some more obstacles. Because it is not fenced in, you have to be able to control the horse better. (They behave better if they know they are fenced in.) She rode Rocky up on steps and down ramps.

Here she is steering -

Pigtail Braids

2011-09-28T06:39:00.000-05:00

Caitlin has gotten really good at fixing her own hair. This morning she did her own pigtails and then decided she wanted to see how it would look braided too. She looked so cute with her pigtail braids and freckles, I just had to take some pictures while she was waiting for the bus.

I think we have one Halloween costume decided . . .

2011-09-27T01:05:00.000-05:00

She did NOT want to put the costime on. (So I bribed her) And then once she got it on, she was loving her hand mittens. I think she may actually keep it all on for Halloween (if she doesn't outgrow it by then).

Oranges

2011-09-26T12:01:00.002-05:00

This girl LOVES fruit! Mandarin oranges are a particular favorite. She was loving these so much, I had to take some pictures. When Alaina is eating something she likes, she really gets into it.

Dinner Time

2011-09-22T06:02:00.000-05:00

Monday night, after dinner, Alaina decided it was time for Kitty to eat too.

She buckled her in and everything.

And then she realized I had the camera so she took some pictures of herself.

Uncle DoeDoe

2011-09-21T12:08:00.001-05:00

Our girls affectionately call my brother - Dover. His name is Ben. Get it? Ben Dover.

Yeah, you can thank Rusty for that one.

Anyway, with Alaina beginning to talk finally, she can't really say Dover.

She can, however, say Doe Doe.

And she loves him!

Yeah, she acts all shy around him but when he's not around,

she wants to know where he is and look at pictures of him around the house.

She sure does love her Uncle Doe Doe.

Another Old Toy

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

I LOVE being able to reuse Caitlin's old stuff for Alaina!!

Rusty sent me this picture on Monday. Alaina LOVES being outside. Because she likes to run away, though, I don't take her out much unless I have the energy to chase. Rusty got out Caitlin's old tricycle and Alaina loved scooting around on it. Maybe now, we can all play outside without me running miles and miles chasing her!!

An Old Toy Reused

2011-09-20T08:58:00.000-05:00

When Caitlin was Alaina's age, she got this Aquadoodle mat as a present. She loved drawing on it, letting it dry and drawing again. The pen was lost long ago, but I kept the mat around. The other day I bought a new accessory kit for it with a new pen and a paint brush.

Now the girls are both having fun once again drawing with water.

First Bike Wreck

2011-09-19T08:25:00.002-05:00

I'm so glad I did not see this happen. Rusty said it was BAD and I would have freaked out!

On Saturday, I had a photography session in the afternoon. Rusty and Rob were mulching both yards so the girls were at the Meikles house. Caitlin and Allison were playing outside and riding their bikes. They were riding down a hill and racing. Something happened and Allison wrecked. Caitlin was close behind and couldn't stop in time. She ran over Allison! And then she wrecked too. Rob and Rusty heard Allison wreck so they saw the rest happen. They said it seemed like it was in slow motion and it was scary. Rob swore he thought there would be broken bones and someone's teeth on the street when he got there. Both girls were bloody but only scraped up.

Caitlin hit chin first and never broke her fall with her hands. In fact, I don't think her hands came off the handle bars. She has a busted lip, bloody teeth, and road burns on her chin and elbow. She goes to the dentist today (she had an appt scheduled for 6 months) and we will see if she damaged her teeth.

Can you tell she did NOT want me to take pictures??

I am SO making this sometime soon!!

2011-09-16T10:46:00.003-05:00

Yummy Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spice Frosting.

Here's the recipe!

2011-09-15T15:02:00.000-05:00

Rusty just sent me this. Too cute!