A little behind...

So, I have once again fallen behind in my blogging...just like I vowed that I wouldn't. Oh well, one day I will be so organized that I will have plenty of free time for blogging and so, so many of the other things I would like to do :-). Anywho, I of course intend to catch everyone up on the past few months and I promise to do so in as few words as possible so that you might actually stay with me..... Here Goes!!

One day in February, a Tuesday and one of my off days (I'll get to that later), Heidi decided to eat a quarter and a penny while I was drying my hair. I didn't know that's what she did... I just guessed because she came to me crying and nothing could calm her. Then I noticed some change on the couch, she was swallowing hard and drooling a LOT and didn't want to drink anything so I put 2 & 2 together and started freaking out. Well, actually not too bad... I think. I called the Dr. and while I was talking to the nurse I noticed Heidi was trying to go to sleep. Nurse: "Call 911 right now!!!" Ok, now I'm freaking out. So, the ambulance and fire truck show up and about 20 or so men (seemed like it anyway). Heidi is actually starting to calm down by this time and the EMT's asked if they needed to take me in instead... umm, probably. So these wonderful men hang out for a little bit to see how she's doing (I was just going to drive her to the ER myself and have her checked out since she could breathe ok and didn't appear to be in any real danger). All of sudden Heidi vomits up a penny. Ahhh.. relief!! Thank God it was just a penny and now she's ok. BTW: I had told them I thought she swallowed a quarter and they said that she was too little and wouldn't have been able too. Ok, so the guys hang out with the kids so that I can go change (she vomited all over me of course) and I have to say Zoe Anna was LOVING this. The attention from all these nice strangers, the flashing lights of the truck and I think the overall Drama of the whole situation. They leave, I take Zoe Anna to my parents and Heidi and I head to the ER to make sure the penny didnt do any damage.

Get there; get x-rays; see GIANT QUARTER sitting right there in her pretty, tiny little throat; find out that we will now have to travel by ambulance to H'ville for surgery; FREAK OUT; FREAK OUT SOME MORE; get the same guys from this morning (since we're practically family now) to take us after a stern talk with the head of D EMS informing them that my child is just as important as anyone else and I didn't want the second rate team to take us; get there around 3:00; wait. Notice how happy Heidi seems to be in the top pic... she's tough as nails!

In the ambulance ride I promised her a balloon, so as soon as we arrived Nanna went down and got her one. She is really starting to look pitiful now. She had to stay in the bed because of the IV and that's really hard for a little one to do... especially for Hours... we had to wait until 8 pm to get the procedure done. She also hadn't eaten since breakfast, which was around 7 am and that was the main reason we had to wait.

Here she is with Nanna. She's really tired but just can't sleep with that IV in her little hand.

Finally, it's time for the procedure. They explained to me all about the anesthesia and how quickly it would put her out, but you just cannot really prepare yourself for that. To watch your precious little baby just pass out .. just like that. I couldn't help but start crying, again, and that's when they kicked me out. The procedure only took about 5 minutes, then we had to wait around another hour and home we went. Thank goodness this day is over with!!! I just thanked God over and over again because it could've gone in a much different direction.

We got a dog!!! This is our precious little Sasha. Heidi called her Susha at first, which of course was adorable. Heidi loves this dog to death. And not really in a kind, gentle kind of way. She more or less man-handles her. Rolling over on her, getting all up in her face, pulling her ears, squealing in her ear.... it goes on. Poor little Sasha just takes it. She'll look at me sometimes like 'could you please do something with her'. And don't worry, I promise I don't let her get too rough and try to get her to calm down the entire time they are playing :).

We have made several trips to the park. Here are Zoe Anna and her best friend Matthew. They are so cute together. I'm not sure if it was this day, but one day they got into a little tiff at the park, but by the time we were making our seperate ways to our vehicles they were once again yelling "I love you". So sweet and it really cracks me up because they are just so serious.

My ever so independant child has graduated to the big-girl swing. She can't pump on her own or anything but she can stay in the swing better than Zoe can. When she's done she just jumps out. No time to say stop or down... just jumps out and usually on her face then right back up and running. Please stop growing up so fast!!!

On rainy days Jen, the kids and I usually venture out to the mall to play on this little car with the scary looking mouse, I think, and the carousel. I'm a little surprised that they don't have our pictures up in the windows with a warning... Hey they're kids. They're full of energy. They're noisy. And when it's raining outside they have to get all of that out somewhere!

THE EASTER BUNNY CAME!!!! Zoe Anna was most excited about her new swimsuit and I think Heidi was just excited about eggs. Not so much that they were filled with candy, just that they were cute eggs. That's her new thing now: Aww... how cyuuuute!

Trying to get a picture with the both of them looking and this is the best I got. At least you can see their entire bodies and they both seem happy:)!

We went to Houston and Kyla's for lunch and the Easter egg hunt. I have to admit that I probably enjoyed it as much as they did. Heidi really got into it and just loved having all of those cyuuute little eggs. Zoe Anna was much more serious about it. She opened each egg as she found it and I think tried to eat each piece of candy as she opened them. She got really lucky and found one of the prize eggs, to which she opened, saw that it was just money and threw the money on the ground so that she could get on with finding the good stuff!! Oh, one day!

And of course, I can't forget Caleigh. She decided not to hunt eggs with us 1. because she is just too old for that kind of stuff now and 2. Mimi Vicki's birthday fell on Easter and she wanted to spend the day with her. We missed having her with us but I am very proud that she is so thoughtful and thought it best to be with her Mimi on her birthday.

I got to go out for the night with my wonderful friend Jen. I so needed it too. I don't think I ever laugh as much as I do when we are together. And it doesn't matter what we do. We both get so few nights out so we definately make the most of it. Everyone needs a friend that makes you laugh till your cheeks hurt at absolutely nothing at all.

Zoe Anna started school!!! I had actually called to register her for the fall and the director informed me that they had some openings if I wanted to go ahead and enroll her as kind of a trial run. That sounded wonderful so she started the next week. It's just 2 days a week but I think she would go everyday if I let her. She LOVES it. And to be honest, I knew she would. She has been ready for awhile now. It was me who wasn't. Look at how big she looks, with her Hello Kitty lunchbox and her little polka-dot backpack.

In her classroom. She was the first one there. We were both very excited!!

Already making herself right at home. She does that everywhere though and I have to say that I'm really glad she's that way. It will make life easier for her. It makes it easier for me too, but I would like it if she didn't want to cut the apron strings at 3.

Okay, Okay Mommm you can go now!! I wish I could've been a fly on the wall and spent the day with her. I have enjoyed spending some 1 on 1 time with Heidi while she's at school. And this is a huge shocker........ Heidi went to school last week. The day before I was telling my friend Beth that I will probably have to go to Kindergarten with Heidi. She is just so attached to me and still cries every morning when I go to work (yes! I have a job now. just 3 days a week but I love it). Anywho, I was dropping Zoe Anna off and Heidi went into the classroom to play while I was talking to Miss Myra. She came back out in the hallway once to look for me but then went back in 2 minutes later. Miss Myra told me to just go out and leave her for a little while. She promised to call if they needed me. So I reluctantly left her there, expecting the call before I made it to my car. She did great though! I went to TJ Maxx. One of my favorite places but one that I never take my children to, therefore a place that I never get to go to anymore. I have to admit it was soo, soo nice to just take my time and look at what I wanted to look at, not the fairy wings or princess dresses or the restroom (for some reason my children want to visit the restroom at every single place we go).

Alright, if you're still there I promise I'm almost done. Big things coming up though!!! Caleigh has the lead in the school play which is this month. She is also going to be in a fashion show at a luncheon for Cervical Cancer and has started voice lessons and is loving it. Zoe Anna is going to be in a wedding in June and she's still a little confused about it. The morning after we bought her "wedding dress" this was our conversation:

(waking up)

Z: Mom, can I wear my wedding dress.

M: No. You can't wear it until the wedding.

Z: Mom, but who am I getting married with?

M: You're not getting married. Lori Beth is. You won't get married until you get bigger.

Z: But MOMMMM..... My dress is little!!

Oh, that little girl keeps me in stitches!! I love them all so, so much. Be back soon!

The Next Taylor Swift ;-)

sorry the pics aren't clear..

Caleigh has participated in Eastwood Idol for the past 3 years. This year was the first time she did a solo performance and she won 1st place!!! We were sooo excited and proud! I think it was also the most nervous I have ever been in my entire life!!! The first 4 finalists that they called were all singers ( & 3 of them were her best friends that were having a slumber party afterwards) so I was certain that they wouldn't choose another singer. I was just sitting there thinking ' I can't let her go to the party when she would be the only one that wasn't chosen as a finalist' and then they called her name. RELIEF!!! There was some serious competition this year... very talented kids... so I was especially proud of her just for making it as a finalist. And then winning ~ YAY!!! I think my dad and my brother were both fighting back a tear or two and I know Mimi Vicki was crying. She was so happy!! Congratulations, Caleigh!! We are all so very proud of you!

*i have been trying to upload the video for 2 weeks now but it just isn't going to work ~ i will try again later but wanted to get this post up since it has already been a month*

Moment of Truth

I seriously cannot believe that I am doing this! I have been waiting for 18 months now for my baby weight to just fall off and I think it is finally time to face facts. I have never really been one to have willpower so what better way to motivate than a really horrible swimsuit pic out there for everyone to see. I am hoping that it will help me to work harder to reach my goal and quickly replace the pic on the bottom with a much improved one.

The picture on the top was made in 2005. This was the biggest I had ever been aside from being pregnant. I remember being so self-conscious and upset about the few pounds I had gained that year (sidenote: I am 5'3" so a few pounds really does make a big difference). It's so sad because right now I would love to be that size. I have always been extremely critical of myself and feel really foolish now for not just being content. Hopefully I will learn something from this. I have already learned to be careful what you complain about/wish for/say about others... it just may come back on you. I remember the first time I was going to meet Cody's family. It was Thanksgiving and I was having the hardest time finding something to wear because everything I tried on was too big and looked sloppy, for lack of a better word. I remember crying before-hand because I really wanted to look nice and "why did I have to lose weight right then?". Want to take a guess what size I was?? A zero or sometimes a 2!! ZERO!! Well, I don't have to cry about that anymore!

The picture on the bottom was taken in 2007. That was before Heidi, but basically the same size I am now. In fact, I didn't lose my baby weight from Zoe Anna until after I became pregnant with Heidi. I guess I can't really complain considering I never actually tried to do anything about it. I suppose I thought it would just be easy like it was after I had Caleigh. I remember at Caleigh's 2 week check-up I cried while getting ready because I had lost almost all the weight (50 lbs!!) but my boobs were huge and I looked like Dolly Parton in my pre-pregnancy clothes. Again, be careful what you complain about.

I realize now that I'm no spring chicken and my metabolism has changed and I can't eat taco bell everyday and be a size two. And to be honest, I don't really care if I'm a size 2. I just really want to get rid of that dang muffin top and look like I have a normal body again. It really is amazing how things get moved around and redistributed differently after each baby :-)!

WISH ME LUCK!!!

Missing the new man in our life..

Sweet baby Rowan

This poor little guy has been sick and now the little girls are sick so we are missing our weekly visit. This little man belongs to my SIL, Kyla, and we all love him so much. I think Heidi just might love him the most though. In fact, right now I am having a hard time typing because she is in my lap with her face as close to the laptop as she can get staring at his picture. She even took her paci out so that absolutely nothing was obstructing her view. I believe she thinks that Kyla had him just for her. And since there will never be a little brother for her, or sister for that matter, we try to spend as much time with cousin Rowan as possible. He is such a sweet, happy little baby and such a joy to be around! We miss you, Rowan, and hope to see you next week.

Yesterday Zoe Anna woke up at 5am with a fever. I don't know how bad it was because I didn't have one single thermometer that would read her temp properly, but she was burning up. She also had a really horrible sounding chesty cough so I dosed her up with Motrin and Vazobid and prayed that would give her some relief. Her fever went away (and came back later) but she was just so, so pitiful. She just wanted to lie on the couch and "rest her eyes". She refused all food including ice cream, popsicles and coke... the good stuff too, not the caffeine free sprite. Heidi has had the sniffles for the past day or two and even though she's just as spunky as always, I make them both an appointment with the doctor. They both checked out ok and we left with a princess sticker and a script for cough meds.

I have to tell you about Zoe.... remember how I said she was just lying around...could barely hold her head up all day.... well, all that changed when she found out she was going to meet someone new (our regular doc was booked so we had to see his partner ~ just as wonderful though). She perked up and turned on that Zoe charm as soon as he came in ... introducing him to her baby sister, answering all his questions in her best 'Big Girl' voice and asking him how he liked her socks "They're Hello Kitty, you know". And then there is Heidi, giving him The Look ~ I don't know who you think you are but Nobody talks to me or "checks me out" unless I want them to!! Oh, how I love their unique little personalities and how they still shine through even when they're sick.

I am behind again on my posts but intend to catch up in the next few days...BIG news for Caleigh!!!

Last week in a glance

Caleigh got caught with her mouth full ;)

Heidi broke into Caleigh's room


for Lori, Caleigh's most prized pocession!

Heidi decided she wanted to wear a headband (or 2)

like the big girls.

Mimi Vicki told me you can never wear too much jewelry ;-)

Zoe Anna got her nails did.

PURPLE!!!

All dressed up in mommy's dresses (shirts) for the

big game.

SNOW!

Yesterday we actually had the tiniest bit of snow here. The girls were thrilled!!

Baby it's cold!!

It has been ridiculously cold here this past week and we are all going a little stir crazy being couped up in the house. I am so, so ready for spring to get here. Everyone is so much happier when we can get out and go to the park or go for a walk or even go shopping, which we aren't even getting out to do right now. Zoe Anna asked if we could go jump on the trampoline today and I told her no, it's way to cold out. She told me we could just put on a jacket and gave me this look as if to say "man are grown ups ignorant. thank goodness i'm here to clue them in" ha!!

We did venture out this afternoon to see The Princess and The Frog (which I highly recommend taking the kiddos to see. Great movie!!). I thought this would be a good thing to do to get out and we could still be warm. Boy was I wrong! Caleigh, Zoe and I arrive at the theater all excited and then they inform us that there isn't any heat. So we decide to go in and see how bad it really is and if we think we can stand it. The girls decide it isn't really that bad so we stay, which I'm glad we did but we were all frozen by the end of the movie. Thank goodness Zoe Anna sat in my lap and kept me a little warmer or I might not have made it. Kids are so much more resilient when it comes to the cold...me, not so much. Zoe Anna did wear her gloves and toboggan through most of the movie and was complaining a little towards the end. We survived and really enjoyed getting out ~ Yay!! I think we'll stay in for a little while now. Well, at least until we go watch Caleigh in the spelling bee Friday ~ wish her luck!!!

Zoe LeAnna

I meant to post this a long time ago, but never got around to it. I guess it's because Zoe is such a unique, complex little girl... it's just hard to sum her up, especially in one little post, but I will do the best I can.

Zoe Anna is definately full of personality, to say the least. This can be so, so wonderful and also at other times not so wonderful! I have without a doubt met my match. So many times her response to something just completely throws me off guard. So much so that I don't have a clue what to do or say back to her. For instance, the other day I told her for the umpteenth time to pick up her toys and if she didn't do it this time I would just throw them away. Now, I'm a firm believer in mean what you say and say what you mean so I fully intended to do it. This is where she throws me a curve... "Ok mommy, I want you to throw my toys away". Well, as you can guess that is not how I expected things to go. She knows exactly what she is doing. She knows that I don't really want to throw away the toys. She knows that I really want her to pick them up. She is teaching me that I have to learn new ways to work with her.

Before Christmas she had spent the day with Nanna. As they were on their way home, she decided to get a little attitude. Well... big attitude. Anyway, Nanna reminded her that she needed to be a good little girl because Santa was watching her to which Zoe replied "No he's not!! Santa's at the mall!!" Nanna gave her some explanation as to how he was still watching her even though he was at the mall. Zoe thought about this for a few minutes, then in her sweet little voice told Nanna "you know I was just kidding with you!".

I could tell a million stories about that little girl. She surprises me everyday one way or another. Good and bad. She acts like such a little grown up at times. I don't mean in a responsible grown up way, I mean in a dramatic grown up way. I'm sure some things she picks up from me, but there are things that she says and does that I absolutely cannot figure out how she would even begin to know anything about. It amazes me. She just turned 3 in December, but she acts more like a 4 or 5 year old. She has always seemed a lot older than she really is. I always thought it was just because she's big for her age, but it really is so much more than that. I honestly cannot put into words what it is about her. Those who know her though know exactly what I am talking about.

Zoe Anna is also such a loving, sweet little girl. She loves her sisters more than anything. I love watching her with Heidi and the way she talks to her. They are only 20 months apart but Zoe acts like a little mama to her. Sometimes Heidi will be crying and Zoe will say "it's ok baby. I'm right here" or " it's ok baby. don't cry. I will take care of you" and she does take care of her. She will get her a blankie or paci or if she can't help she will tell me in a very matter of fact voice what I need to do for Heidi. Tonight when I was getting them to sleep, Heidi did something funny and Zoe looked at me and said "awww, she's soooo cute" and just giggled.

She adores Caleigh too. She wants so badly to be big like Caleigh and to dress like her and hang out with her and her friends and do what they do. She can't understand why sometimes they don't want her to hang out with them and it hurts her feelings so, so bad. Or she could just be manipulating me again... who knows;).

I could go on and on but I won't. Hopefully I will be a better blogger and stay on top of things... wish me luck!!!

Christmas

We all had a wonderful Christmas this year. For the first time ever, we didn't have overlapping events so that made for a much more relaxing holiday. It was also nice to be able to spend time with everyone without having to rush off somewhere else. I think the girls really enjoyed getting to spend time with both Uncle Sean and Uncle Hunter this year. They adore them so!

The girls were all really happy with what Santa brought too. Although, I think next year I will have Santa give Heidi's gifts to Zoe Anna and vice-versa. I don't understand why they always like the other's gifts better.

I will be back after the new year with my post on Zoe Anna since I never got around to it before now and it will be a long one, I'm sure. I don't make new year's resolutions, but if I did it would be to keep my blog more current... so we'll see. I will definately make an effort anyway.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!!!

Caleigh Blaine

I cannot believe that Caleigh will be 11 years old next month. It seems like she should still be the same size as the little girls. And once they start school time just flies by. She has always been such a little grown up. I think being the first grandchild on both sides and spending so much time with grown ups doing grown up things has contributed, but also I think she was just born "mature". I could always take her anywhere with me and she would behave perfectly and enjoy herself too. Since she could walk she has been going to teas and luncheons with her Mimi Vicki and she has always loved that sort of thing.

Caleigh is very sweet, understanding, mature, fair, thoughtful, creative and wise beyond her years. I really could just go on and on, but I'm her mom, what do ya expect :-)!! Sometimes, Caleigh can be too nice for her own good.. meaning, she wont stand up for herself. It's so hard to make her understand that it's okay to stand up for herself, that it doesn't make her a mean person... and she say's that she gets it, but I'm not so sure she does. I'm not always with her so I can't know if she is taking up for herself or not. I just have to trust that God will guide her and help her through those rough times and let her know what is the right thing to do. I am tremendously proud of her no matter what. She does very well in school and is very confident in herself. She loves her friends dearly and would do anything for anyone. She is already planning out her future... she wants to attend Samford to be a music teacher and marry a lawyer... have 2 children, although I'll be surprised if she even has one ( she would go to the hospital over a paper-cut ~ zero tolerance for pain!!).

It's so hard for me to let go of the little girl she was and let her grow up, but I think she is growing up beautifully and I enjoy every new stage of her life. Well... I say that now... she's not a teenager yet ;) Maybe we can skip that stage!!