Best laid plans

"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." Proverbs 16: 9

I need to remember that verse more often.  I had the best laid plans.  My plans.  I was going to spend time while Skylar was at school getting stuff ready for her room re-do.  Then, my parents were going to take her for a couple days so we could do the install.  Then, after she got home, she would squeal and shriek and I would write a nice long makeover post! Then we would make lots of homemade goodies for her birthday; have a party at the park with her classmates; I was going to speak at a board meeting for our school; I was going to wrap up my women's book study I was leading; and then I would leave for the weekend so I could bond and learn with my fellow church board members.

It didn't go that way.

Skylar got Croup two and a half weeks ago.  So she was home from school.  She's now had croup twice in her life.  Both in the last couple months.

Then we all 5 got hit with an intestinal bug.  More missed school.  More time spent NOT preparing items for the room.

Then we were all healthy (yay!), only to have Skylar get the full blown flu the day she was supposed to leave and hang out with my mom for a couple days.  My mom took her anyway (rockstar grandma!!), and they just watched movies.  I worked to get the last few errands in and sewing. The next day Brian cleared her room, we painted, and I tried to finish up some sewing.  Then it hit me.  The flu.  The bad, body aching, high fever, coughin up a lung, can't-stand-upright, flu.

I did my best to help Brian finish up her room, but then I was done.  For the next 5 days.  In that time it also hit Brian, and then Bailey.  Reagan has thus far avoided it (and praying she stays immune!), but she did call my mom at one point and BEG her to come over because there was no one to feed them.  Ha! Rest assured we were feeding the children.  But it was easy stuff like cereal and soup, so we were incredibly grateful that my mom answered the call and came to take care of all of us!!

Skylar loves her new room and it was a great surprise, but it certainly wasn't as I imagined it would be.  I didn't get to finish up my book study. I didn't get to speak at a board meeting for our school.  I didn't get to go away for the weekend with my fellow church board members.  We didn't have a party at the park and I didn't make any homemade goodies.  But life went on.  Other people spoke in my place.  My lovely fellow board members went without me.  My middle baby turned 6.

We're all on the road to recovery but this bug is wretched.  I had the best laid plans.  But the Lord has greater plans.  I'm speaking at church on Monday night so maybe He knew I needed to have some extra time to prepare.  Whatever it is, I need to remember that His plans are best.

In the meantime, here are some snaps from my cell phone.  I would still like to do a whole room re-do post in the future.  For now, this is my best. :)

Our sweet Skylar the morning of her birthday (yesterday).  My mom got her a beautiful princess gown.  It was instant love! 

Skylar's first day back to school after being sick.  How fun that it was her birthday! :) Her class is singing to her while she wears the "birthday hat." 

We were blessed with awesome weather for her birthday, so she played outside with the dogs.  This one is my parents dog.  :) She's the most "willing" to go along for a ride.  Notice the sparkly princess shoes.

A "before" shot of Skylar's room.  We had a beach theme beforehand.  I have other pics before it was cleared, but I'll save those for the longer post.  

And AFTER! We did two colors of pink on the walls; I made a fabric banner, tissue pom poms, a rag quilt for her bed, and a new bedskirt.  This is a shot from standing in her doorway looking in.

Another shot from inside her room. 

Most importantly, she loves it.  She had a good birthday and we're all getting healthier.  Thank the Lord for that!

making up for lost time

All 3 girls are sick.  This is a first for us.  They are incredibly healthy and if one gets sick we have been good about keeping it from spreading.  Not this time.  Skylar is on the mend but Bailey and Reagan are just starting the flu bug.  So, today's comic relief was a welcome reprieve.

Skylar returned to school today but it completely wiped her out.  She rested for a while, and then started talking.  And didn't stop.  I had to laugh because she wouldn't even let me get a word in edgewise.  She hardly took a breath in between sentences.  I think she was making up for being so lethargic and quiet the last few days.  I hit "record" on my phone so I could capture her chatty-ness.  I don't know how to upload it here so below is a transcript of my favorite "story".  Just try not to laugh.

"Mommy, do you know what would be fun? If we could get a pink car for me, the kind with batteries and pedals that go when you push down on them, and we could get a car for Reagan and Bailey that was a police car that had pedals and could go fast, but not really fast, cause that's not safe, but just kind of fast and they could chase me in my pink car.  Then I could jump out and run and Bailey could jump in the pink car and Reagan could stay in the police car and I could hide behind a tree and when they drive past me, cause I'm a good hider, I could jump in the police car and Reagan would be so scared that she would jump out and then I would be chasing Bailey who thinks that she's chasing me, and we could drive all around our neighborhood, chasing each other and then come home and have a snack and laugh.  Wouldn't that be so fun?!"

Back to Basics

Martin Luther King Jr. used to say that some days his schedule was so busy that he had to spend two hours with God, instead of one, just to get it all done. I wish I had that perspective.  I wish I was better at just giving my day to the Lord before I go and mess it all up with worry and chaos.

It's been over a month since I blogged.  It wasn't a purposeful fast, it just didn't fit into the schedule.

In the last year or so we've been trying to get "back to basics." We're eating better, exercising, spending time as a family, budgeting, etc.  So, it came as no surprise last week when my devotions were about being child-like in our faith.  How much more "back to basic" can you get? I started to research exactly what that meant and in the process I came up with a top ten list of ways that we can become like children in our faith. I even prepared to share it with the ladies at one of our church leadership meetings.  But, if the Lord is going to have you teach something, He makes sure you learn it first.

One of the characteristics of children that we can learn from is believing that God is capable of anything, even the little stuff.  I had gotten out of practice in asking the Lord for the little things.

Yesterday Skylar woke up with a bad headache and a 104 degree fever.  She has the flu.  It has been almost two years since the girls had any kind of virus so our ibuprofen was nearly empty and expired.  We made it through yesterday with just acetaminophen, but today it just wasn't working.  I put a plea on facebook for someone to grab us some ibuprofen while they were out and no one responded.  I got discouraged and frustrated.  Brian has been visiting his family back east, and my mom is up north at my cousins.  So, my normal go-to helpers weren't around.  I finally just stopped and prayed.  Within 2 minutes I got a text from a fellow school mom.  She was heading to the store and wanted to know if I needed anything.  She doesn't have facebook so she never even saw my request.  Then my neighbor texted and asked if I needed anything.  Then I got an email from a friend asking if there was anything she could do to help.  Not only did the Lord answer my prayer, He answered it in abundance.

It was a good reminder.  A humbling reminder.

I still have so much to learn.

Today I'm going back to the basics.  The laundry can wait.  My goal for the day is to sit with my precious girl and possibly shower.  :)

Firsts

Yesterday was a first for us.

It was the first day of school.  At a new school.  And it was Skylar's first day of kindergarten.

We had prepared her the best way we knew how.  She can write her name, read short books, and knows how to count to 100.  More importantly, she knows when to say 'please' and 'thank you', how to raise her hand, how to follow directions, and how to be a friend.

We picked out an outfit, packed her backpack with 30 pounds of supplies, and made a snack.

The night before school started, she was getting misty-eyed.  When I asked what was wrong, she said, "I'm excited to start school, but I'm sad to grow up."

Me too baby....me too.

Yesterday was Reagan's first day of third grade.  She made a friend in the first five minutes and after school she said, "I have a feeling we're going to be best friends.  She's very polite and sweet and she loves God!"

My girls are growing up.

Lord give us the strength and wisdom to continue raising them in the way they should go.

celebrating with frozen yogurt after school!

She's still 5

Most days I feel like I'm running at full speed just to keep up with my "list."  I know there will always be something else to do, so I end up doing only what is absolutely necessary each day.  That means the big projects often get pushed aside.  Skylar's 5 year pictures were no different.  We have a tradition of doing portraits at 5 years old (in a white dress) in our family.  Someday I would love to display my moms, mine, and all 3 of my girls, in one frame.  Reagan's portraits were a little pricey so we've been holding off on doing Skylar's pictures.  But her bottom tooth started getting wiggly....and I really wanted to have them done before she lost her baby teeth.  Thankfully, I've been able to pick up photography as a little hobby and when we were asked if Skylar could be part of a magazine shoot in San Diego, I jumped at the chance to take some pictures of her myself.  I'm still saving up for that DSLR, but I was thrilled with what we got.  She may be five and a half, but it was worth the wait.

It doesn't hurt that she's so beautiful and totally photogenic. :)

Now to pick a favorite.....

Baby Blues

This weeks theme at I Heart Faces is "Beautiful Eyes."  How could I not enter a photo of my sweet middle girl and her gorgeous baby blues?

Last week we had a little outing down to San Diego and I took advantage of the setting to take some 5 year old shots of my girl.  We have a tradition of photos in a white dress when you turn five.  I'm only six months behind :) But, they were totally worth the wait.

This shot is SOOC.  Yes, her eyes really are *that* blue!

Go check out the other "beautiful eyes" at iheartfaces.com

I heart my water babies!

I had planned to do a recap of the last part of our big trip but instead decided to link up with the photo challenge over at Iheartfaces! I couldn't resist when I heard the challenge was "water."  One of my favorite photos from our trip was at at a waterpark in Wisconsin.  Skylar had SO MUCH FUN! Right after I snapped this shot, she said, "Mommy, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much! But it's ok!"

This one is SOOC.  I didn't want to mess with pure joy!

Head on over to I Heart Faces and see other "water" shots!

The Eyes have it.

When Skylar was a baby, people used to say "Wow she has such BIG eyes!" And she did.  She has kind of grown in to them, but they are still the largest out of all three girls.

Do you know what happens when you have beautiful BIG blue eyes?
Well, they look beautiful in shots like this:

But the drawback?

They don't close all the way when you sleep!

Freaks me out everytime!

She's lucky she's so cute when she's awake. 

Happy Friday!

Yay! 5!

There's an old episode of The Cosby Show (probably from the first season) where Rudy is sad because she is the littlest in the family.  But her mom convinces her that she is growing up each day and can already do lots of things at 5, that she couldn't do at 4.  By the end, they were both saying "Yay 5!"

Today we are saying, "Yay 5!"

Skylar is 5 today! She has already spent the morning showing me how many things she can reach, and how her feet almost hit the floor when she sits on the couch.  She is convinced that she grew a foot last night.  The funny thing is....it looks like she did.  :) I could have sworn that the jeans she is wearing today actually fit her last week.  Thank the Lord that capris are in style!

Skylar is our fearless one, but also the most tender.  She is incredibly flexible and just goes with the flow. She just doesn't get bothered by much.  She is equally as good of a big sister, as she is a little sister.

She is definitely our happy-go-lucky kid! She makes us laugh; she's quick to listen *(most days) and loves to be a helper.  We are blessed to have her in our family!

Happy Birthday sweet girl! Yay 5!

I heart the faces of 2010

It's been a while since I entered a challenge at I Heart Faces, but I thought this week would be fun. 

I love each and every little face in our house, but this picture just melts me.  

This photo is SOOC (straight out of the camera) and I wouldn't dare touch it.  

Her eyes really are that blue (and her face really is that sweet).  

Hop on over to Iheartfaces.com and see some other "favorite faces" from the past year.
Don't forget to vote. :)

Here's your sign

Tonight Skylar said, "You know what I would love to do more than anything tonight? I want to have the fireplace on, put a blanket on the floor, put a Christmas movie on, and drink hot chocolate.  With whipped cream.  Peppermint whipped cream."

We're raising that girl right.

Friday Funnies-The Skylar version

I only have two this week but they are both from Skylar and super funny!!

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Our backyard neighbors were having their trees trimmed one morning.  The girls were fascinated by the chainsaws and the guys climbing into the trees to cut the branches.  One guy had to stand on our fence to reach a limb and he happened to squat down in order to reach the branch after it fell.  Skylar was watching out the window and then looked away quickly with her hand over her mouth.  She gasped and then said, "Oh my word!! I can see that guys bum bum!!" Apparently the tree trimmer was also a plumber. :)

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Skylar and Bailey were playing "ring around the rosy" and they sang a second verse that I hadn't heard before: "Horses in the meadow, horses in the meadow, buttercups, buttercups, we all jump up!" I asked her where she heard it and she said, "My cousin Sam.  She knows lots of stuff. She's a teenager." I said, "Oh really, so you think teenagers are smart huh?" She replied, "Yep! Daddy says when I'm a teenager I will know everything." 

Have a blessed weekend!

A little Sunshine

It's been cloudy and rainy here lately, so Skylar decided to make her own sunshine and tape it to the sliding glass door.  I thought I'd share just in case you needed a little sunshine too!

(and in case you couldn't tell what it was, she wrote the word 'sun' on it). :)

I heart apple orchards!

This weeks theme at I heart Faces is "In the Orchard." 

We haven't been to an apple orchard this year so this is a picture from our last visit.  Skylar loved eating apples right from the tree.  Just looking at the photos from our trip made me realize how much she has grown!
Go to I Heart Faces and check out all the other "Orchard" pictures!

Middle Sis

All three of our girls are SO different.  Reagan has always been girly, but not into baby dolls.  She loves animals, reading quietly, not getting dirty, and wearing dresses.  Skylar loves her baby dolls, but also loves to get dirty and wrestle with daddy.  She's pretty athletic and has some pretty amazing hand/eye coordination.  As much as I try to "figure her out" I think she's just one of those kids that likes everything.

Lately she's been playing baseball outside with daddy.

And actually hitting it!

Don't you just love that little face?! (I know I do!)

She's also been taking ballet.  And loving it!

Her last class was "Princess Ballet Day" so she wore a princess gown. The girls were SO cute!

She is definitely showing us that she's one of those kids that just can't be labeled.  

She's just a superstar! :)

We heart the beach!

If you follow our blog, you will recognize this photo. It's one of my favorites from one of our beach trips this summer.  Skylar LOVES the beach and it just shows all over her face in this one.  I might add that she added the headband....not me. :)

Head on over to I Heart Faces and see all the other fantastic beach pictures!

I heart this smiling face

This week's challenge over at "I heart Faces" is simply "smiles."  My girls offer lots of smiles, but this one is my recent favorites, so i had to share.  I posted one similar to it on here last weekend, but this is the picture I took right after.  This is her "ok I'll smile for the camera, but this is as good as my smile is going to get mommy" look.  :D

Head on over to iheartfaces and see other "smiling faces"

I heart black and white photo drama!

This weeks theme over at I Heart Faces is "Dramatic Black and White."
I'm not a professional so I don't aim for the "dramatic" capture with a serious face, so I went a different route with this theme.  I have three girls.  Each day is filled with drama.  Especially the day I took this photo.  I had made a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting.  I left the icing on the counter and went to answer the phone. When I came back, half the bowl was missing.  I asked Skylar if she had eaten the chocolate frosting and she said "no" but I was pretty certain she was not telling the truth.....

Head on over to "I heart faces" and check out more "black and white drama".

Random Wednesday

Why does the week before Spring Break always feel chaotic?  Is it because I know that there are days of sleeping-in? It's like the weeks before you have a baby; you know it's coming but seems like it takes forever to get here.

I actually haven't even logged on to the computer since Sunday! I had over 25 blog entries to catch up with on my reader.  I have lots of blog post ideas but not the time to write them.  So today you get some random snippets about our home.

Reagan lost her first tooth!! She was so excited! It was VERY wiggly for a few days and I told her "why don't you just grab and pull it out?" So she did.  Easy peezy! The tooth fairy left her a gold dollar coin in her "tooth box" that was on her nightstand.  (It was also really dark and the tooth fairy almost woke her up by dropping the porcelain top to the box onto her nightstand and making a large crash!) The following morning, she asked if she could put her gold coin in her BGMC (mission fund for our church) box.  What a sweet and giving heart she has!

Since Reagan lost her tooth (and has been getting attention for it), Skylar has decided that she wants to lose a tooth too.  She eats apples almost daily to try and make her teeth wiggly.  I don't have the heart to tell her she has at least a year until her teeth start to fall out.

We finally got rid of the cold bug in our house...only to have it revisit us this week.  I'm praying it's just a short, last hoo-rah before spring finally sets in.

Speaking of spring, we are loving the warmer weather and spending more time outside (and the fact that it's lighter later).  I can almost smell summer.

I spent most of last weekend pulling weeds (and dead trees) out of our backyard.  It's no where near finished.  It's a much larger job than I ever imagined.  I had to stop because our trash can was full (and my back hurt like crazy!). After all the weeding is done, I still need to re-plant, and mulch.  *sigh*

I haven't forgotten about the "Ten Dollar Healthy Dinners".  I just want to do it for an entire week so look for it starting Monday.

After the week of recipes and ideas, I will host a giveaway in celebration of our one year blogiversary and over 100 posts! Woo hoo!

Tomorrow is Reagan's "Open House" at school.  She is so thrilled to show us what she's been working on.  It's no coincidence either that the Book Fair just "happens" to be going on.  I guess we will have to make a stop there to check it out on our way home.

I was able to find more peppermint mocha creamer so the crazy week has been a little easier to handle. :)

I hope your week has been going well!
Be blessed!

My fourth daughter

No, I'm not pregnant.  Nor will I ever be again.  But I do have a fourth daughter.  One that travels with us wherever we go.  She even has a carseat in the van, and a seat at the kitchen table.  Have you seen her in our photos?  I bet you have.  She's everywhere.  (No, it's not one of the dogs either).
Can you see her in this picture?

She's tucked under Brian's arm.

It's Kayta.  Skylar's baby.  

She's quite the little mommy....

Sometimes I even get to babysit. ;)