Day 29

My picture today is of my precious Hailey this morning before school. It's so hard to believe that my little girl is 8 years old and in 2nd grade. It feels like yesterday that she was a tiny little 5 lbs 7 oz all cozy in her bassinet. I am so proud of who she is becoming. She has been through so much in the past 4 months since Abby died, but there are days that she gives me the strength to go on. Other times she needs me to help her to go on. God truly has blessed me with two amazing children and an amazing family. We all knew that this time might come, but honestly I just never really thought it would become a reality. I miss my sister every day, but I know that she would want us to go on and not wonder why or what we could have done differently. She would want us to concentrate on the kiddos and what we can do for them. My life has also changed so much in the past 4 months, but I have also become so much stronger and I truly believe that is because Abby taught me so much even after her death. She taught me to never give up and to always always always remember who you are even if noone else does.

We love you Ab and will never forget you!!

Day 28

Snow and ice oh my!!! School was cancelled today and I didn't even make an attempt to go down our icy driveway. The kids and I watched Open Season 2 this morning and once I got Hunter to take a nap (at 2:15) I got some scrapping done. Hailey played with her Barbies and Littlest Pet Shops while I scrapped and it was so nice. I finished 2 LO's today and the story behind the pictures goes like this....I happen to work at the same daycare where Hunter is enrolled and we were all outside playing on the playground. When it was time to line up to go inside Hunter was taking his good ole' time so I decided to help his teacher and get him moving. He fell a couple times while I was trying to lead him to his other classmates. I was actually starting to get a little annoyed. I put him up on the picnic table to tie his shoe, but it wasn't untied (I thought maybe he was tripping over his shoelace). I got the rest of my class lined up to go in and wash up for lunch. Once everyone was inside Hunter kept falling. It only took a few minutes for the other teachers to notice it as well. He was coming out of the room from washing his hands and fell flat on his face. Of course he got a huge goonie on his forehead. By this time I am getting concerned so I called my mom and she said to bring him right into her office. ( she is the office manager of an orthopedic surgeons office ) To make a very long story short ~ he must have stepped wrong or something and broken one of the little bones in his foot. He wore the cast for almost 10 days and when they took it off he walked perfectly fine. He is now having some limping problems, but nothing like before. This happened in August. Poor guy!!! The second LO was of them removing the cast....he was so tough.
Stay warm!!!

Day 27

No pics today because my camera battery died and I left my charger in my mom's car....DUH!!!! Supposed to have snow tonight into tomorrow so we will probably be home tomorrow.

Day 26

Does it ever end??? I was only at work for 20 minutes this morning when I got a call from the school nurse that Hailey was in her office with a temp of almost 101 and crying because her belly hurt terribly. When I dropped her off about an hour before she was fussing that her belly hurt, but I honestly thought that she was just trying to get out of going to school. My bad!!! I got to the school around 9:00 so I just took her right to the dr's office....He did a lot of pushing and prodding (which she did not like) and ruled out appedicitis, but told me to watch her closely because my mom and her daddy both had pretty bad experiences with it. She was sick last Sunday into Monday and again on Thursday afternoon into Friday so he's thinking that it is a pretty bad viral or bacterial stomach thing. Let's keep our fingers crossed that she is fine in the morning because I sure can' t afford to take anymore time off work. I only got to work one day last week because either one or both kiddos were sick. My camera battery needs charged so I couldn't get my pictures of her uploaded tonight, but I am posting a random that I took this week....Hunter sittin' in Nanny's laundry basket. I'm not sure why, but ever since I can remember he loves to be carries up from the basement inside the basket of clean laundry. What a ham!!!

~ Butterfly Kisses ~

Day 25

Crap! No picture today, but I wanted to post anyway. Hunter was at the farm with his daddy today and my parents went to Albany, NY for a college basketball game so Hailey and I took advantage of the time alone. We were going to just hang out at home and scrap today, but at the very last minute decided to go to the movies instead. We went to Camp Hill Cinema and saw Hotel for Dogs. It was so cute. We both laughed out loud. Hailey is really beginning to be fun to do things with....don't get me wrong....she's always been fun and I've always loved her, but sometimes they are just too little to do things with. She is starting to want to hang out with me so I know I have to take advantage of it now because in a few years I won't be cool anymore. :) We even went to the mall so that I could take a pair of jeans back to Aeropostale to get the darn security tag taken off....so annoyed that I couldn't wear them for a whole week til we got back down to get it taken off. So it's back to work, school, and daycare tomorrow and I'm praying that we all stay healthy this week!!! Hailey should have gotten her report card on Friday, but we were all still sick so she will get it tomorrow. I will give you an update then.
Well ~ both kiddos are asleep so I'm off to get some scrapping done til my parents get home. Sweet Dreams!!!

Day 24

Today has been pretty exciting for me.....It was my first weigh in at Weight Watchers since I joined last Saturday morning. I lost 6.2 lbs in my first week.....YEAH ME!!!! I'm going to get Hailey to take some pictures of me tomorrow so that I can document my weight loss, but I will have to post them tomorrow. Wish me luck this week...I'm really excited about this new journey in my life.

My picture for today is of my son, Hunter, with some rabbits that my dad shot yesterday (sorry if I gross anyone out). My dad is so excited for Hunter to get bigger and be able to go hunting with him.

Days 22 and 23

Wow!! I'm beginning to think that this sickness will never go away! Hailey got sick again yesterday when we were getting ready to leave work/daycare. She vomitted pretty much all evening then slept through the night. I kept her home from school again today because I didn't want to take the chance of her doing it in school. She was ok today, but just laid around. Her belly started hurting again this evening so she laid down and was out like a light at 7 pm. Hunter was pretty good today other than still being a pooping machine....I don't have any clue how that much poop can come out of a 2 yr old that hasn't eaten anything in 5 days!!! His ears don't bother him until its time to lay down and then I think it's a combination of him being tired and them being sore.

Anyway ~ long story short ~ my week has pretty much been consumed with sick children....lol!!! I did manage to do another LO tonight once Hunter fell asleep. I saw this sketch in on of my groups on Cafemom and fell in love with it right away. I knew that I wanted to use a picture of my sister, Abby so that my mom could frame it and put it in her office at work. The 4 smaller flowers have rhinestones in the center of them....Ab loved her some BLING!!!!

Day 21

Poor Hunter!!! He has had the stomach bug since Monday and this morning he woke up with a fever. I put him in the tub to see if the fever would come down and that helped, but as soon as I got back from taking Hailey to school he started crying and saying he was sleepy. (around 8:30) I put him down with a pillow, blanket, and a sippy cup full of Pedialyte. I put a Thomas the Train movie on for him and was going to cuddle, but then he started really sobbing and telling me his ear hurt. I called the Dr. right away and they told me to bring him in about 45 minutes. Talk about rush!!! I hadn't even gotten out of my pajamas from the day before and he was in a diaper. I got us both ready quick and was 5 minutes early for the appointment. He ended up having a double ear infection plus the stomach bug. YUCK!!! He's a trooper and takes his medicine like a champ. He's so used to it by now that he just goes with the flow.

Hailey and I ran to the mall tonight to exchange some jeans that I got and stopped at AC Moore so I could finish a baby shower gift for a girl at work. So ~ my pictures today are of the LO that I did for her new baby girl that is due the end of March. Her due date is 3/29, but I am secretly praying for her to be born on my sisters birthday 3/23 :) I also got to use my new Cricut Expression for the first time on a LO. I've been playing around with it and having lots of fun, but this is the first time I actually used it on a LO. I did the baby's name, flowers in different sizes, and the baby carriage in the middle of the page. I am going to tell the mommy to be once Kiersten is born she can bring me a picture and I will put it on the page for her and the smaller box is for all the pertinent info and I will add that with my cool new white gel pen....

Happy Scrappin'!!!

Days 19 & 20

Didn't get a chance to post last evening so I thought I would post two pictures today. Hailey got the stomach bug on Sunday evening and Hunter started getting sick last night. What fun!!! Multiple tubbies (that's what we call them) and numerous dirty clothes, but gotta love 'em both :) Other than the kiddos being sick our last two days have been pretty uneventful. I got a lot of scrapping done since all the kids wanted to do was lay around and watch cartoons.
My second picture is of Hailey and one of her gazillion drawings and the first one is of poor Hunter right after he passed out from exhaustion. I don't think any of us have gotten out of our pajamas since Sunday night....ewwww!!!

Day 18

Hailey, Egan, and Hunter got to have a sleepover last night which was the first time since the end of August. Once my sister, Abby, passed away in September we all felt it was too soon for Egan to come and spend the night in the same house where she overdosed especially since it was in her bedroom. He finally told his daddy that he wanted to come for a sleepover and we were all so excited. We played with toys and watched a movie and had so much fun. It was kind of a lazy day today, but it was still fun. Hailey, Egan, and I went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner before we dropped him off at home. None of us can wait til he comes for another sleepover. I took this picture this morning while we were all watching cartoons....Hunter loves spending time with "E" as he calls Egan.

Day 17

What a busy day!!! I got up bright and early this morning to be sure that I got to Carlisle in time for the Weight Watchers meeting. I joined this morning and made a commitment to myself and my children to get healthier. The meeting was really fun and I am excited to go back next week. Mom and I went grocery shopping this afternoon to get all the goodies we need to start eating more healthy. We also stopped at Dress Barn, AC Moore, and Target. On our way home we picked up Egan (my nephew) so that he could come and have his very first sleepover since my sister, Abby, passed away in September. We decided that we would let him make the first move and it worked out for all of us. He is finally ready to come and spend the night here and we are ready as well. The kids just love playing and carrying on with each other!!

My picture is of my little guy Hunter. He is 2 and the "big kids" didn't want him to sleep downstairs with them because he's a baby....poor guy! He and I are hanging out right now watching a Thomas the Train movie. (notice the camoflauge pillow and the Hannah Montana blanket...he had to have sissy's blanket...lol)

Day 16

Today we went to the PA Farm Show!! We try to do this every year, but we weren't sure if we would get there this year because it has been so stinkin' cold. The windchill today was -9, but we went around 9:00 this morning and didn't have to park too far away so we managed to get Hunter into the stroller and just beeline for the entrance. My dad, Hailey, Hunter, and myself all had a blast. I never leave home without my camera, but somehow today when I was packing the diaper bag I completely missed it so we spent four hours without a camera. Last year I got some really great pics of the kiddos and every time something cute happened today I kicked myself for forgetting it. Hunter loved all the animals and even got on a huge bull to get his picture taken. I took a picture of the picture so the quality isn't the best, but its the only picture I have from our trip today. Hailey's favorite moment of the day was sitting in the large arena watching the tractor square dancing...lol!!!

YEEHAW!!!

Day 15

I'm off to a dinner with the girls at work so I thought I would snap a picture of myself after I had about 1 1/2 hours to myself to get ready. It was so nice to actually have the bathroom all to myself. Who knew taking a shower in the peace and quiet could be so wonderful...lol!!!

~ never take anyone or anything for granted ~

Day 14

Just a quick photo of my very favorite website on the planet....Cafemom! Thanks Richelle for introducing me to this place....it has changed my life and lead me to so many amazing women from all over the world. Cafemom rocks!!!

Day 13

I caught Hunter looking at the "pwetty girs" in the People magazine this evening...lol!!! He is such a ham. I asked him if mommy was a "pwetty gir" and he said no mommy's not, but nanny is. It is moments like this that just make my heart melt and thank God for the two beautiful children that he has blessed me with.

Day 12

No picture today because I just completely forgot, but I did want to post a blog anyway. Today was the first day of my new shift at work (8:15 to 4:15). I didn't really think that an hour would make that much of a difference, but oh my did it ever. We weren't late for school or work, but I was rushing from the time I got up til the time I got to work. Once I was at work everything was fine. There was a new teacher in the room where I am an aide. The kids were amazing and the day just flew by. This is the change we were all in need of. The kids and I got home an hour earlier so that meant that supper didn't need to be whipped together quick so homework could be done and baths could be taken. Overall it was a great day and I am so glad that my shift got changed.
I will post 2 pictures tomorrow so that I can keep up with my goal!!! :)

Day 11

Today was such a good day!! Sunday is the day that Hunter goes to the farm and spends the day with his daddy and the rest of us usually get the house cleaned up for the week and just relax. My mom, Hailey, and I went to AC Moore today and got the rest of my Christmas present...a Cricut Expression!!! I told mom that I would rather her wait until the bundle was on sale so that we could not only get a good deal, but then I could use my gift certificates from Christmas as well. I had $60 to use towards the purchase and it was on sale for $319!!! I am so excited and I think Hail is just about as excited. We were just downstairs playing with it and it is even cooler than I imagined. So ~ my picture today is of my Cricut Expression and all the other goodies that came with it. I am working on my title page for my Book of Me and it is turning out so cute with all the help from my new toy!!

JPB ~ I love you with all my heart!! ~

Days 9 & 10

Oh my goodness!!! I completely forgot to update my blog last night and I am so disappointed because I have been doing great at doing it daily. I worked all day yesterday and brought the kids home. Then I went on a real date!!! Can you believe it?!?! I very rarely get to do things by myself or with my "friend" and somehow it just all worked out that we could go to see a movie and then dinner. We saw "Bride Wars" which is definitely a chick flick, but that was ok. We had a really nice time and I am so glad we got to spend some time together. Hailey and Hunter stayed home with my mom and dad and they both fell asleep early and with no problems. Even though they are 8 & 2 I still worry that they will want me.

My pictures were both taken today, but I wanted to put 2 up because I just couldn't pick 1 they are both so cute. Hunter has decided that he wants to sit on the potty now and try to pee. He says "mommy I pee potty"....it is just too cute and exciting at the same time. He sat on the potty 5 times today and actually peed twice...one other time, but there wasn't enough even to count...lol!!! I, of course, am so dramatic and had to call his daddy and grammy to let them know. Hunter was so excited too...he told daddy that he peed in the potty as well.

~It's the little things in life that make us the happiest~

Day 8

Today was a good day! We woke up to a dusting of snow on top of the ice from yesterday, but there was no delay and the roads were fine. This is a view from the back door this morning. So it was off to school for Hailey and off to work/daycare for Hunter and I. It is so nice to be able to take Hunter to work with me. He loves all his friends and teachers there. He is only one room away from me so I can see him during the day and if he needs me I am right there. We are supposed to get another snow storm this weekend so I am hoping to get some more scrapping done while we are stuck inside. I had a 2 hour training for work this evening so Hailey and Hunter stayed home with Nanny and Pappy while I was there. They all love their time together.

Hope you all had a great day!!!

Day 7

Well today was a really lazy day. We had an ice storm overnight and school was cancelled. Hunter and Hailey both slept in this morning really late. I, of course, was awakened by my ringing cell phone :) We all just lounged around in our pajamas today and watched TV. The kids played and read books this afternoon. It was nice to have a relaxing day after the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

My picture today is of Hailey, myself, and her baby doll named Carly. Hailey insists that since she is my daughter that makes her my mom's granddaughter and Carly is her great granddaughter. It's hilarious!!!!

Remember to take some time for yourself today! We all need a little ME time.

Day 6

Well we are in for some more yucky weather tonight and tomorrow. School was closed early today and the kids were excited about that. The weather actually held off until I got off work and we could all get home safely. It is now sleet mixed with freezing rain right now so I'm sure there will be a delay for school tomorrow if they even have school at all. I am supposed to be having a Tastefully Simple party tomorrow night so I came straight home to get the house cleaned up for the guests. While we were cleaning Hunter decided to drive his Mater truck all over the couch, which is really no big deal, but he is just so darn cute when he does it. He makes the arms of the couch the hills for Mater to climb and he makes this noise deep down in his throat that really sounds like it hurts, but he does it for an hour straight if noone bothers him. It is so much fun to watch him grow into the little man that he is becoming. I love him so much!!! It's hard for me to imagine that just 2 years and 2 months ago he was just a little peanut only weighing 3 lbs 12 oz lying in a little isolette (sp?) with tubes everywhere and now he is running, jumping, and talking a mile a minute. God definitely does perform miracles in our lives.

Day 5

Today was my first day back to work and Hailey's first day back to school since Dec 23rd....what a day!! I knew that Hunter would probably have a hard time at daycare today, but it honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Naptime was a little difficult, but he went to sleep and slept the entire nap. Hailey had a really good day at school as well.

My picture today is of the bulletin board that I created in my Young Preschool class at daycare. I traced the mugs and cut them out, sponge painted them with blue, white, and silver paint, retraced them a little larger in black, glued hot chocolate on the top to look like they are full, and finally glued 3 marshmallows in the hot chocolate. The saying is " when cold weather draws near Hot cocoa brings us cheer".....The kids just love to see their names on the bulletin board every month.

Take the time to tell someone you love them....it could make all the difference in the world.

Day 4

Wow!!! I picked Hailey up from her sleepover this morning and she had a BLAST!!! She, of course, was the first one to go to sleep since it was her first sleepover and she's not a night owl. We came straight home and she took a 1 1/2 hour nap :) Hunter had a great visit at the farm this weekend ~ as always!! I got some scrapping done last night and then decided to go out for a drink. It's probably been 6 months since I went out to the bar, but I'm glad I did. There were so many people there that I went to school with. I'm so glad I decided to take some time for myself. I haven't even thought about going out since Abby died so it was time to take a chance and just do it. Some of her girlfriends were there and it was nice to catch up with them and talk about her. She had some amazing friends.

My picture today is of the double LO I did last night and this afternoon. The first page is of Hunter and Kenny with Kenny's buck on the second day of deer season and the second page is of Hunter and Pappy (my dad) when he came home from West Virginia this year. I must say that this is now my very favorite LO that I have done so far. Enjoy!!!!

I hope everyone has a good week!!! Butterfly kisses......

Day 3

Well here I sit in an empty house....my parents are in Baltimore at a College basketball game, Hailey is at a sleepover, and Hunter is spending the night with his Aunt Tina. I can honestly say that I was extremely excited to have some peace and quiet, but I miss my kiddos already. We live with my parents so there is very little peace and quiet in this small house. I wouldn't have it any other way though. I'm getting ready to start an evening of marathon scrapping....can't wait for that!! I have a lot to get caught up on, but a whole evening to myself should help.

My picture today is of myself. I just got a new haircut last night as well as a highlight. I am going to start taking some more pictures of myself and might even get someone to take some so that I can add them into my Book of Me....

Day 2

So today is day 2 of my Project 365....we all slept in today and Hailey was none too happy to get up at 9:30, but I was ready to start the day. As you can tell by the picture she didn't want the sun to be shining yet which would have meant that she could stay asleep....I don't even want to know how she will be when she's a teenager. After she decided to wake up we just hung out and watched a movie

and then when Pappy got home from golfing Hailey and I went to get our hair done while he watched Hunter. Its starting to be so much fun to actually have a girls day out with my not-so-little girl :) We went and got our hair done, went to Red Robin for dinner, and shopped for Hailey's girlfriends birthday present. Hailey is going to her very first sleepover birthday party tomorrow night. She is so excited! I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes.

Remember to smile!!!!

Day 1

Happy New Year!!! I am so ready to start a new year and see what God has in store for our family in 2009. I am going to take part in a project for one of my Cafemom groups. We are going to post a picture every day of the new year. I am really excited to take part in this project. This blogging thing is also new for me as well. I hope you all enjoy my very first photo. I took it today at my aunts house. My dad and Hunter were looking at a book about all the Boone & Crockett deer. Hunter just loves anything to do with hunting or farming. The relationship that my dad and Hunter have is just so precious to see. It has been that way from day one when they met for the very first time in the NICU a little over 2 years ago.
Family has always been very important to all of us, but after my sister passed away in September we try to make it even more important.

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecc 3:1