A few things

Oh this boy.  He's just so fun.  He's getting so close to TWO!!!! Seriously - how did that even happen? He's so busy but he's also equally sweet.  He loves to hug and kiss and snuggle.  I could just eat him up with a spoon.  

WELL......if you follow me on instagram - you know I had a little momma drama last week.  I have NO crafting abilities and in facts - crafts make me break out in a sweat.  So this past Friday was 100 days of school.  So the kids could dress like 100 year old people or put 100 things on a shirt.  (This is just for kindergarteners at our school).  Hollis flat out refused to dress like an old person so we were roaming Walmart on Thursday afternoon trying to find something to put on a shirt.  And I got tickled because there were tons of moms there doing the same thing.  So we came home and made a gumboil shirt.  Cute, right? 

Then Friday morning when she got dressed - the balls starting falling off.  So we made an emergency trip to Walmart and bought another shirt and 100 bandaids.  The girls slapped them on the shirt in the car while we took Will Holden to school.  We were 30 minutes late to school and OF COURSE it was school assembly day and I was in sweats and no make up because I hadn't planned to get out of the car that morning and now I had to go inside and stay for a little bit.  So Friday morning started out awesome. 

But this sweet girl was happy and proud of her band aid shirt so that's all that matters! :-) It's something we will remember and laugh about when she is in college. 

Friday night Harper spent the night with Sarah Kate.  They have the sweetest friendship - they just adore each other.  

We had a lazy day most of Saturday.  It was a cold day and we just stayed home and got things done.  Then in the afternoon we went to a glow in the dark inside mini golf place.  The girls loved it.  We also visited Petsmart because it's fun just to look at the animals. (Who can beat a free zoo? I'm also thankful kids are easily entertained at this age).  And then we went to dinner at 4:30.  ha! 

Today was church and more church and a lot of belly laughs from this guy.  

And I put this on my instastory and I wanted to share here but I got a beautiful cross from Rad Joy.  It's a surrender cross.  It has nails on it and they give you paper to write your burdens or requests and you literally nail them to the cross and surrender your worries/burdens/requests to Him and they can serve as a daily reminder to you.  It's a beautiful way to put a literal depiction of this surrender in plain sight for your family to see every day.  You can get them here.

Friday Fellowship - Kandi West

So today's guest is one of my closest and oldest friends.  She was at my 6th birthday party and eventually we were college roommates for 3 years and she was my matron of honor.  I don't see her more than a few times a year these days but when I do, it's always like time has never passed.  She lived down the street from my grandparents and that's how we originally met and then our moms hooked us up as roommates in college.  I was so intimidated when we first lived together because she was so pretty and so smart and honestly - I'm probably still intimidated by her but I also love her fiercely.  She met her husband Lance in college and when they were first married and I was single I would go and stay weekends with them and was their third wheel and Lance always treated me like a sister.  They went through many years of infertility and then had two beautiful daughters.  Lance and Kandi are both brilliant and read like 7000 books a year.  Their favorite thing is travelling to  all the Presidential libraries and birth places.  They also are world travelers.  They are always on an exciting adventure. I think just in the last year or two they have been to Argentina, Italy and China plus lots of stops in the U.S.  And they both have a heart for missions.  Lance grew up in Taiwan where his parents were missionaries and they have taken numerous mission trips over the years.  Kandi is active in BSF and they are very active in their local church.  I'm just so thankful to have Kandi as my lifelong friend.  (Also Kandi would LOVE to tell you stories of what a nerd I was in college and they are all true).  

1.  What is your favorite Food?  It would be easier to tell you the foods I DON'T love!   I love all desserts...strawberry shortcake is my favorite.  And homemade Rice Krispie treats.  And Hot Tamales!

 2.  What is your very favorite piece of clothing right now? (FASHION) I mostly live in t-shirts and shorts or yoga pants.  I work part time but from home and I don't tend to do much that requires dressing up.  When I do get "dressed" though, my current favorite item of clothing is a pair of AG Legging jeans.  I follow a few fashion bloggers who say these are the most flattering jeans.  I finally bought a pair in the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and I love them!  I also love my blardigan (blanket cardigan) by Barefoot Dreams...thank you ShaefferToldMeTo!  I have two now and I take one everywhere in case I get cold, even in summer.

 3.  Tell us about your Family?  I've been married to Lance for 22 years and still love and respect him more every day.  We have two daughters, Lowrey, 13, and Annie, 12.  They are 358 days apart...one of our family's best God stories!  The girls are very close even though they are very different.  Lowrey is a lot like her parents...firstborn, responsible, and serious.  Annie helps the rest of us lighten up...she's full of imagination and fun.  I think their differences actually help them get along better and I love seeing how their personalities complement each other.  I often say that together they would be the perfect babysitter...Annie would provide all the entertainment and Lowrey would keep everyone safe.


4.  What is the most important quality in your Friends? OR tell us something that a Friend has done for you that you can't forget.  This was a hard question for me, but after much thought, I'm going to say that authenticity is at least one of the most important qualities in my friendships.  I'm the type of person who has a small number of good friends, not a large number of casual friends.  I'm an introvert and the very opposite of a social butterfly.  I hate small talk.  My friends tend to know me well and I know them well.  I crave authenticity in those relationships...if I can't be who I am with you and you won't be you, I'd rather be reading a book.  But I can spend hours and hours talking with those authentic friends and not be left feeling drained.  That's good friendship to me.

 5.  What's something you have learned recently in your Faith journey?  And/or share your favorite scripture right now and why or your favorite Bible Study or book you have read recently.  The scripture that God has used to shape my heart and mind most in the past five years is Psalm 67.  All six verses of are dear to me, but specifically, verses 1 and 2..."May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make His face shine on us...so that your ways be known on earth, your salvation among all nations."   I bet most of us that grew up in Church have heard Psalm 67:1 hundreds of times...asking God to be gracious and bless us.  But the rest of that Psalm tells us WHY God  blesses us...SO THAT His ways may be known and His salvation may be spread among the nations.  God doesn't bless me for my happiness.  God is much more concerned with my holiness than my happiness.   And the reason for that is because He created me to glorify Him by blessing others, not to pursue happiness.  I am still fumbling my way through what this looks like in real life for me.   Satan/the world lies to me and tells me that God doesn't want the best for me, that He asks too much, that other people are more equipped and blessed to do Kingdom work, that I am not "good" enough to witness for Him.  Those are all lies and there are so many more I could give you that I fight against.  The only way to fight those lies is using the Word of God.  I could talk about this for a long time but your blog post would get too long!

6.  What is your biggest Fear?  I think I fear losing Lance and the girls the most.  I know that's a common fear.  A friend recently lost her only son in a horrible accident.  I am devastated for her and have been amazed at her ability to  praise God for making her son whole again in heaven and for the short life he had.  His celebration service was the most God-honoring event I've ever attended.  I mentioned this to my mother-in-law, that I was blown away by her faith...and my mother-in-law wisely said that her praise is a sacrifice of praise to the Lord ...that it is the hardest kind and requires the most trust and that He honors that.  I believe that whole-heartedly.  But I still know that my heart holds on to this world tightly.  My family is the biggest idol in my life, meaning I struggle to put my relationship with my Father above them.  I think often of the song "Blessed Be Your Name" and the line "He gives and takes away, He gives and takes away, Lord Blessed be Your Name!".  Could I do that if faced with loss of my family?  I pray so.  Oh, and snakes.  I am absolutely terrified of all snakes.  Can't even look at a picture of one.


 7.  What are some of your Favorite things right now? I'm a recent podcast enthusiast, so that is the first thing that comes to mind.  There are a few that I look forward to each week...What Should I Read Next is my absolute favorite, although it is making my list of books to read ridiculous.  I also never miss Sorta Awesome and The Pop Cast with Knox and Jamie.  I would never be cool enough to be friends with Knox and Jamie in real life, but I adore them both.  Their podcast is how I know anything at all about pop culture.  I also love boot weather and it's almost here.  I have several (too many) pair...I'm kind of obsessed.  Boots always fit no matter how much dessert you've been eating!   I'm also loving Stranger Things on Netflix.  It is unusual for me to binge watch something.   But my sister-in-law, who is the queen of all things pop culture...she and Jamie Golden could seriously talk for hours...she told me to watch this and I'm hooked.  I especially love it being set in the 80s and seeing everything as it was when I was growing up.  Last favorite thing...I've been making this salad for about 4 months now at least once, sometimes twice per week.  I cut up Roma tomatoes, avocados, purple onion and cucumbers (the English ones are the best) and drizzle olive oil, a lemon and then mix.  Oh and some salt and pepper.  And sometimes I sprinkle in some fresh cilantro if I have it.  I eat it constantly.

8.  What has been your biggest Failure?  This was another hard question for me.  I can think of a few different situations, but they're very personal so I'm not going to share those.   However, when I think about those things that I most regret and would tend to see as failures, the common theme in those is that I put myself and what I wanted before and over the needs and wants of another person.  That is always going to be a failure for me when that happens.   I know and believe that God can redeem all things and I often pray things like "God, please let the girls completely forget I ever said that" or "God, I don't know how this could ever be made right but I know that you can make it so...please do."

9.  What do you do for Fun? I'm such a nerd, but honestly, reading is my idea of fun.  It is not unusual for me to have 6 books going at any one time...usually one on audio to listen to while I'm exercising or in the car, one or two on my kindle so that I can read in a waiting room or the carpool line, and then another fiction and a couple of non-fiction "learning" books going that I alternate with at home.    I also LOVE to travel and I love to plan our travel.  I spend HOURS planning future vacations...I'm an expert on Expedia. Ha. I love to experience different parts of the country and different cultures and to learn about new places.  I love all the different landscapes and environments that God has created and I want to experience it all.  I'm actually praying and thinking about starting a home-based travel agency since I enjoy all the background work so much.


10.  Tell me about what animals you have? (Furry things)  We have a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel named Rosie.  She is 6.   She's a mess!  Cavaliers are supposed to be lap dogs.  Rosie loves to be outside, to chase squirrels and bugs, and she is just now at 6 turning into the dog we expected.  The vet continues to say "She's just not typical to her breed."  Oh, and she's still not house trained.  After six years.  Ask me if I want another dog!  But we love her to pieces.

 11.  What is your favorite FILM? (movie) I'm not a movie person.  People are always amazed at the movies I've never seen.  If I don't see it in the theatre, the chances of me sitting down and watching it at home without going to sleep are slim.  I still love Steel Magnolias...that's probably my all time favorite.  I also love Mr. Holland's Opus and Shawshank Redemption.


 12.  What is one Fact we might not know about you?  I play a mean game of air hockey.

Routines

So something people mentioned to me several times on a blog post recently and on IG messages is wanting to know what my routines are for getting things done.

Now - I feel like a cross between a swimmer who is barely keeping her head above water and a hamster stuck on a wheel most of the time so this is not an instructional post. ha! BUT something I wonder all the time when I look around at other moms is "how do they do it?"  I wonder if their mornings are as crazy as mine or how they keep their house clean or their laundry caught up.  So because I'm always wondering about other routines - I figured I would share mine and it probably won't inspire anyone but you may think "Man, I'm doing great compared to her". ha!


MORNINGS

Something I'm not great at is making lunches ahead or laying out clothes ahead.  Or really anything that would make my mornings easier.  It's my own fault but I just can't seem to get that under control.  So my morning normally begins when Will Holden wakes up.  He's an early riser so rarely does my alarm clock go off before he does.  If I HAVE to be somewhere ready EARLY in the day - I try to get up around 5:30 but if not I get up around 6.  No one in our family is a morning person so mornings are a struggle.  I usually go in the kitchen and put Will Holden in his high chair and give him breakfast.  While he is eating, I make lunches and pack snacks and water bottles and fix the girls breakfast.  I also unload the dishwasher.  Scott normally cooks eggs for him and Will Holden.  I get the girls up around 6:30 and they eat breakfast.  While everyone is eating, I make beds and lay out clothes for the kids.  After the girls finish breakfast, they get themselves dressed and then I fix their hair.  And then I get Will Holden dressed and we are out the door by 7:20 at the latest.

CLEANING

Okay - I'm a neat freak. I like a clean house.  But I need to say I have a split personality.  The parts of the house you see - like our living room and kitchen are usually spotless.  But closets are a whole different story - complete mess.  Is anyone else like that? I have this weirdness of always keeping the house like someone might drop by and I would want it to be super clean.  Only when do people just drop by these days? Not often.  I never leave the house even to drive the kids to school without all the beds made and the kitchen clean.  I feel like if you have those two things done - your house just seems in control.  I don't have a cleaning lady so it's all me.  I normally split the cleaning one of three ways:
1. If I have company coming or people at my house - I will clean like a madman all in one day or night right before they come.
2.  OR I split the house in zones and clean maybe the living room/dining room on Monday, bathrooms on Tuesday, bedrooms on Wednesday, etc.
3.  OR I split it by chores.  I will dust on Mondays, Vacuum and mop on Tuesdays, and bathrooms on Wednesday, etc.

I try to just pick up the house constantly as we go.  I am working on training the kids to clean up after themselves so our house is not usually a disaster.

I also try to do at least one load of laundry a day.  But there are times I get behind and have to spend a day doing several loads.

SCHEDULES

 I have a lot going on.  I'm on the PTO board, I'm room mom in two rooms, I work part time for a ministry, I have my blog and social media, I teach AWANA, Sunday School and preschool choir, I am on the women's council at church and I'm on the finance and ordinance committee at church.  Plus just normal family stuff that keeps me busy.  I really haven't been overly stressed this year because I just write everything down in a planner (I like a paper calendar that I can lay on my kitchen counter and look at constantly).  I usually sit down on Sundays and look at what I have going on that week and then break up everything else over the week into to do lists.  I try to just do what I need to do each week and then I'm not overwhelmed.  I have to write EVERYTHING down or I will forget.  Sometimes I forget even when I write it down.  But I'm trying.

PERSONAL

I would love to have a quiet time in the mornings but that is just not my reality right now.  So I try to read my Bible at night.  I just got a new Bible that I want to share about soon.

Right now with a toddler, I'm in the stage where trying to get a shower and get ready can be tough.  So it's either get up early or come home when he's in MDO and get ready.  I will say my biggest life saver has been Mother's Day Out.  He LOVES it and it's helped his separation anxiety so much.  And having several hours alone to get things done and run errands is just a HUGE help to me.  Especially trying to work part time and volunteer.  I'm just a better mom with some alone time. ha!

I'm determined with the new year to find time each day to exercise.  I think it's good for me on many levels.  This can be so hard but I'm really trying.

MEALS

In a perfect world, I sit down on Sundays and menu plan for the week and go to the store on Mondays and shop for the week.  In reality, I have fallen into a pattern of going to the store almost every day or every other day and shopping for a couple of days at a time.  I cook dinner pretty much every night.  We usually only go out to eat for Sunday lunch and maybe on Saturdays.  Scott also takes his lunch every day (and works 30 minutes away) so I try to cook extra for his lunch.  I feel like I can't get a full handle on keeping our pantry stocked.  The kids eat me out of house and home.  Which is another reason I'm constantly going to the store.


What other routines are you wondering about? I would be happy to answer questions.  (Just for curiosity sake - I'm not doling out advice!)

AFTERNOONS/NIGHT

I completely left this off when I first wrote this.

Harper has gymnastics one afternoon a week and soon to be two days but other than that - we come home right after school.  Harper only has one day of homework so other than that - we mostly try to play outside if the weather is okay.  Or we play or just watch a show together.  I try to have things done so I can spend those few hours with the kids just hanging out.  I try to get dinner together around 5 or 5:30.  Everyone is always hungry by then.  Scott gets home around 5.  We eat and then the bedtime routines begin.  Will Holden gets a bath first.  Scott and I trade off bath times.  Will goes to bed around 7ish.  The girls stay up later with us and usually are in bed by 8ish.  Scott and I do bed times together every night unless one of us is gone.  We try to spend some time together at night.  Scott goes to bed early and I'm a night owl.  I feel like from 9-11 is when I catch up on blogs, work, etc.  Or sometimes I just collapse in a chair and watch TV.

Blocked Tear Duct

I thought I would write a quick post on this in case anyone else has this issue and wants to read another experience.

Will Holden had blocked tear ducts in both eyes from birth.  I knew about it and wasn't worried because Hollis had the same thing.  Only hers cleared up after a few months.  Will Holden's didn't.  They would get worse if he had any allergies or a cold but pretty much every day they would be gunky and crusty and sometimes swollen shut.  We constantly cleaned with a warm washcloth which is about all you can do but it just never got better.  

Almost always, the blocked tear ducts clear up by the first birthday but if they don't, surgery is often required.  We waited until he was a year old and then saw an eye doctor and scheduled a surgery. (If you read here - you may remember that we showed up for surgery and they didn't have us down.  And I don't lose my temper often but mama bear was NOT happy that day after dragging three kids to the hospital at 4:30 in the morning with zero apologies from the doctor or hospital and I had my appointment card in hand.  Okay - sorry.  I didn't need to get stirred up again).  

So thankfully there is another doctor in our area who sees young patients and we had to wait and get a referral but we finally saw him and scheduled another surgery.  The great thing is one eye cleared up on it's own but his left eye was still bad.  Always red and crusty and swollen.  The doctor basically just put a tube in his eye.  

The surgery itself probably didn't last 10-15 minutes.  It's pretty simple.  But it did require him to go under an IV anesthesia   This made him SOOOOOOOO mad when he woke up.  If you have a child who has ever gone under - you know they can be hysterical when they wake up.  We ended up being in recovery for probably an hour and a half because he was so mad and we couldn't leave until he drank something and he refused.  We offered water, juice, popsicles and even chocolate ice cream but he would NOT eat or drink.   He finally drank some water and ate a little ice cream.  

They told us he would be probably be sleepy the rest of the day and want to just rest.

um. not quite.

After we got home, he was back to his usual self.  He was running around and playing like nothing had happened.  

We have to give him eye drops every 4 hours and I figured he would flail around and hate it but he has been SO great about it.  

The picture on left is before surgery.  This is how his eye almost always looked.  And you can see that just 3 days later - his eye looks 100% better.  I'm so glad we did it.  I wish we would have done it sooner but it was a big success.  I would highly recommend it if your child has a blocked tear duct.  After having a red, swollen eye myself just a week ago - I can imagine how it must have irritated him and he probably feels so much better.

Appointments, Inaugurations and Family

Well, last week was a FULL week.  Monday we celebrated Harper's birthday and the kids were all home that day.  

Tuesday, Will Holden and I had a string of appointments.  We went to the his opthalmologist on Monday for a pre-op appointment and when he listened to his heart he said he had a heart murmur.  Well, I was a little nervous about that.  He said he would feel better (and clearly so would I) if we had his pediatrician listen.  

So thankfully his pediatrician was nice enough to work him in on Tuesday morning.  I have to admit - the words "work him in" from a doctor's office concerning an almost two year old boy strikes a fear in me like almost nothing else because I picture hours in a waiting room with a very busy boy.  But they got us in quickly and everything was fine.  

Then we went straight to my eye doctor to check back on my eye which is doing well.  I decided that two doctor's appointments weren't enough - we might as well work in a hair cut for Will Holden.  ha! By the time all that was over - we both needed a nap! 

My friend who has an older Will gave us this chair and my Will LOVES to sit in it to watch Elmo or Mickey.  Who else has little kids and is so happy they came out with Mickey and the Roadster Racers to offer extra entertainment??? 

The girls got their report cards this week and I'm happy to report they are both doing so great! 

More Will in his seat! ha! 

Scott's parents offered to come up and help take the girls to school since Will Holden had a little surgery on Thursday morning.  They also wanted to celebrate Harper's birthday.  It ended up being great timing because the girls and I went with my parents to Dallas on Friday so they just stayed on to help Scott with Will Holden.  Scott could have handled it fine himself but I'm sure he was happy for the company.  

Will Holden had eye surgery on Thursday morning.  I'm going to write more about this tomorrow.  But he's doing great! 

Thursday night my parents came to town and I cooked dinner for all of us and we watched the pre Inaugural festivities.  

Friday we left for Dallas.  Thanks to technology we were able to watch the Inauguration on our phones! 

Every single time I have EVER gone to Dallas, we have stopped at the chili's in McAlester to eat.  Every time.  It's one of the only places you can stop and it's just the perfect half way mark.  

The girls were so excited that we got to stay in a hotel over the weekend! They love hotel life - what kid doesn't? 

We went to visit my brother's family and had a great visit with them and we finally got to meet my new nephew.  

And this boy had a great time with his dad and grandparents.  They kept him busy! 

Now it's back to life.  Thankfully my calendar looks a lot less full this week so I'm hoping to catch up! 

Friday Fellowship - It's Laurie!!!!

Well, I'm SO happy that today my guest is my person.  My best friend.  Laurie! I wanted her to be my first Friday guest but it took me this long to get her to fill out my interview! ha!

Laurie and I have been friends for 25 years.  That's hard to believe.  We met in college at OBU and then after college we lived together for 7 years until we finally got married.  Now we live a few miles apart and our husbands are best friends and our kids are close as well.  In fact, Laurie is how I met Scott.  She set us up on a blind date.  They are cousins.  So we are cousins by marriage.  She is basically like a sister to me and I'm so thankful for her.  I could go on and on and post about 3000 pictures but I just put a few of us through the years.  No one makes me laugh harder than she does.  She is a genuine, kind, rock solid Christian.

1.  What is your favorite Food?

 I love food!  My favorite food for the past twenty five years has been chips and salsa!   My favorite is Chili's chips and salsa, Cantina Laredo's and Abuelo's.  I've been known to stab the hand of folks eating with me with a chip if they get their hand in the way of my salsa!  I usually ask the waiter for my own cup or bowl.

2.  What is your very favorite piece of clothing right now? (FASHION)

 I love a plaid shirt!  That's what I wear most days-plaid shirt, jeans, a vest and booties.  That sounds Western ,but i don't think I have a Western look. Ha!.

3.  Tell us about your Family?

 I have been married to Steve for 12 years.  We have Emily, 11 and Sarah Kate, 8.  I met Steve in a singles Sunday school class,  I had become very discouraged with singles classes, but promised the Lord I would go every Sunday in July,  How do you think was there the first Sunday I went?  Yep, Steve!  I was 31 when we met.   Steve is wise, funny and always does the right thing even when no one is watching.

Emily is quite, yet very friendly.  She is very easy going and kind.  She enjoys ballet and singing.  Sarah Kate is funny and dramatic.  She is also a deep thinker.  Sarah Kate recently did a drama class and loved it.  She also does dance.  We love being together as a family.

4.  What is the most important quality in your Friends? OR tell us something that a Friend has done for you that you can't forget.  

I think the most important quality of a friend is someone who really loves me and wants the best for me.  I love words of encouragement and I love it when I get a note or a text from a friend.  I am pretty quite and so I am drawn to people that are talkers.  All of my closest friends are very FUNNY.  I am also drawn to people that are sweet.

My best friends are friends who follow Jesus!

5.  What's something you have learned recently in your Faith journey?  And/or share your favorite scripture right now and why or your favorite Bible Study or book you have read recently.  

  I'm thankful God continues to teach me!  People will let me down.  They only one who will never let us down is Jesus!  Keep your eyes on JESUS!  My favorite verse is Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.  Walk with Jesus daily.  We never know what someone else is going through.

6.  What is your biggest Fear?

I have several fears.   I have had a bird phobia ever since I was a little girl.  Birds terrify me.  I can't even explain it!   I also fear something happening to Steve or my girls.  When one of them gets sick I always google and find the worst case scenario.    

7.  What are some of your Favorite things right now?

One of my favorite things is the Pioneer Women's dishes and plastic storage containers.  I also love Creed Spring Flower perfume right now.  I love agave scented candles!  I love fruit smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe.  My favorite flavor is Sunrise Sunset.

8.  What has been your biggest Failure?

I have many failures!  One of my biggest is losing my temper with my family.  I often speak to strangers nicer than I speak to them.  Another failure is not giving people enough grace.  I have to remember the grace Jesus has shown to me.

9.  What do you do for Fun?

 I love to shop.  I love to go on weekend getaways with my friends and family.  I love looking at a new magazine that come in the mail.  I love watching any kind of medical show.  I love planning women's events at our church.  I love doing Bible studies and finding Bible studies that will enrich the ladies in our church. I love going on Sunday drives with Steve and the girls.  We love to look at houses and neighborhoods.

10.  Tell me about what animals you have? (Furry things)

I have two cats, Frisco and Kristen.  They are both crazy!  I LOVE Kristen so much!  I got her about a week before Steve and I started dating.  Kristen only likes ME!  She HATES Emily and SK.  She is all over me and purrs the minute I walk in the room, but she hisses and pops the girls.  Frisco is three.  He is a good cat, but he does not like to be touched so we just view him from afar.  So that's Fris and Kris!

11.  What is your favorite FILM? (movie) 

 I love movies!  I have so many that I have watched over and over.  I love Blindside!  I love any war movie like Saving Private Ryan, Captain Phillps, Lone Survivor, Band of Brothers.  I am not into sports, but i love any sports movie!  I love Bernie, War Room, Sully.

12.  What is one Fact we might not know about you?

I am an only child.

I don't like staying away from home for more than about 4 nights.  I will not eat a cold sandwhich.

Infections and Celebrations

Well last Monday I got the worst eye infection I have ever had.  I had an ulcer on my eye and I'm not kidding when I say I would rather have a c-section that that eye infection again.  It was SO painful.  Thankfully I have a friend who is an eye doctor (he's actually Harper's Sunday School teacher) and he worked me in on Tuesday when I could barely function.  I could barely see much less drive but the little driving I did I had to wear my sunglasses over my glasses because light was my enemy.  Thankfully I got some miracle drops and I was basically fine by Saturday.  

Friday Harper got student of the week for her class in the school assembly so I got to surprise and be there to congratulate her! Then I went to Fayetteville for the day with Laurie and my friend Sharon. Once a year we try to meet up with Sharon and shop and have lunch.  It was cold and rainy and I had to wear my thick, crooked 9 year old glasses but we had a great time.  I didn't take one picture! 

Harper decided this year that she didn't want a party - she just wanted to spend time with her family and have a fun day with her best friend.  We are basically having a week long celebration.  She wanted to go swimming Saturday.  It was 36 outside but we have a great indoor water park so we went and had the best time.  And I did not have to get in a swim suit which was the best part! It's a shallow pool.  

Will Holden loved it.  Scott wore a swim suit so he could chase him around thank goodness.  

Harper was introduced to the wonder that is a Dairy Queen ice cream cake and she LOVED it.  I don't really like ice cream or birthday cake so I'm glad it wasn't a temptation. ha! 

Sunday we went to church and then sadly watched the Cowboys lose.  Scott is a big life long fan so we had hopes that this might be our year but it was not to be.  Being a Cowboys or a Razorback fan and especially both leads to a lot of disappointment. ha! 

Monday was Harper's birthday.  We were out of school for MLK day (which Harper has said over and over that it was "SO COOL" that she and MLK shared a day.  She has loved learning about him and learning especially about why racism is STUPID.  It's on the inside that counts is what she would tell you!) 

We had to take Will Holden to an appointment in the morning  (I'm so glad I forgot when I scheduled it that everyone was out of school.  Not.) Laurie brought Sarah Kate over and we had a baby sitter come stay with Will Holden so I could take the girls out for a fun day! 

First stop was lunch at Chuy's.  This was Harper's pick.  And a good one I might add.  

Harper wanted two things for her birthday - a fit bit and to get her ears pierced.  Scott ordered her a Garmin Jr and it's been so great.  He put a lot of tasks on it where she can earn points.  It's very motivating.  She has also been trying to get a ton of steps in each day.  

We went to Claire's so she could get her ears pierced.  I had originally settled on 10 as a good age but Sarah Kate had hers done this past summer and Harper said most of the girls in her class had their ears pierced.  And I just think maturity wise she was ready.  I love this picture of the girls holding hands.  SO sweet. 

They did them both at once so it was easy and quick and Harper didn't even flinch.  

Sarah Kate was proud of her! 

She picked little pearls and I think she looks so pretty.  And grown up.  WAAAAHHH.  I'm really not too sad.  I miss my baby Harper but I just think each age brings a new level of greatness.  Eight is a wonderful place.  They are still sweet and loving and haven't hit the pre-teen stage yet but they are independent and mature and just easy to be with.  

(Her sweatshirt is from Crazy 8.  I've had a ton of people ask on IG.  I got it last summer knowing she would be turning 8.  It was such a cute shirt to wear for her big day!) 

We got frozen yogurt and then went home and had spaghetti which is Harper's favorite meal.  

The fun continues later this week because both grandparents will be here Thursday to celebrate and then we are headed to Dallas with my parents to see my brother and his family.  

(And this is where I should confess if you are following me on IG that I quit Whole 30 last week during the painful eye infection.  I drank a big Sonic coke and didn't care. ha! I'm going to just start fresh next week after our weekend trip.  The thing with Whole 30 is to give yourself grace.  If you cheat  - you really need to start over on Day 1.  But it's okay.  You aren't a failure.  Just try try again!) 

Eight

Oh Harper Brown.

You came into this world in a dramatic way and there hasn't been a boring day since.  

You are kind with a heart that loves people, animals and Jesus more than anything.  

You are tender hearted and the most giving person I know.  

You are just JOY.  That's the word that comes to mind when I think of you.  You are always full of joy and you give me so much joy.  You are always smiling and you smile from the inside out.  

You are in the second grade and you love school.  You have the sweetest teacher which helps.  You have lots of friends.  You love going to gymnastics and church.  You love riding your bike.  You love reading and watching your iPad.  Liv and Maddie has been one of your favorite shows this year.  And Brady Bunch.  You LOVE to sing.  And you just love to laugh.  You are one of the funniest people I know.  

You love playing with your sister.  Ya'll have the sweetest friendship even though you can also fight like cats and dogs.  You are the BEST sister to Will Holden. And you are so much help.  It's almost like having a live in nanny because you love to help with him and you are always declaring how "adorable" he is.  You are just a born nurturer.  You love animals too.  You always say you want to be a doctor or a veterinarian when you grow up.  Or have a fro yo shop.  

You pray the sweetest, most amazing prayers that come from the bottom of your heart.  I just know that God has a big purpose with your life.  My prayer is that you will be passionate about His word and His people.  I pray you will always be kind and loving.  I pray that you will always be as joyful as you at eight years old.  You are a light that shines so bright.  

I love you more than you could possibly ever know.  It is an honor to be your mother.  

As I tell you most nights before you go to sleep - you are beautiful, you are smart and you are kind. And I'm so proud of you! 

Happy 8th birthday!