Six

Six years ago on Sunday I married my best friend. We planted this tree during our wedding reception, in my parent's backyard, where we were married. I'm sure just like our marriage, it has faced some hard days and weathered a few storms. It's roots are strong though, and each year it grows taller and stronger, a beautiful example of God's handiwork, again just like our marriage. I check in on our tree each time I go home and love to see the growth that each new year brings and the reminder of that special day when we began our journey together. Happy Six Years Wayne! Thanks for loving me and having roots deep enough and strong enough to keep us growing and stretching and reaching toward Heaven. I love you!

Things I Love...

1. How excited my girls are to see each other first thing in the morning.
2. Emily's little birthmark on her right knee.
3. The way Lila tells me "It's Okay Mommy." every time I tell her to stop doing something. (I admit there are times I don't 'love' hearing that response, but it helps me stop and see the big picture..usually it really is okay!)
4. Emily's "tuck" as she cozies herself before falling asleep... arms curled in under her belly, legs tucked in and bottom up! She also does a little shimmy to get extra cozy right before closing those big blue eyes.
3. The fact that Lila always talks about herself in third person and carries on conversations with her dolls, stuffed animals, etc. asking them questions and answering for them.. it's so sweet!
2. Emily's laugh... a deep ha ha ha!
1. Not having to miss a single moment of my girls and this special time in their little lives. Each day is a gift. An amazing, perfect gift.

Home...

Every time I go home to my parent's house, Mom has put a little gardenia in a vase on the bedside table in my room. Love is in the details. This simple little gesture makes me feel so welcome, so special, and fills the room with the scent of love. The gardenias here at my house are in full bloom right now. Every few days I cut little bouquets of them and place them here and there in little vases around the house. I love them. They remind me of Mom, and home, and the feeling of being special and loved! Thanks Mom! I hope my girl's grow up feeling that same love every time they see or smell a gardenia.

So Busy!

Have you ever read the book about the raggly, scraggly, no soap, no scrub girl? It's one of Lila's favorites and could very well be her story...although she does get a bath every night with soap! :)

She doesn't slow down. She plays hard. Up early, no nap, and just keeps going all day until bedtime! Wow, she's a lot to keep up with!

We've been spending a lot of time outside. We've been busy gardening lately and Lila has turned into a great little gardener, watering and taking care of her plants. She got her green thumb from her grandmother and great grandmother for sure! Look how much her seeds have grown...




She also loves the sandbox, playhouse and trampoline... busy bee!






Lila is also really into her blocks right not. Not so much building, but straightening. She's obsessed and doesn't appreciate her sister messing up the straight lines she makes! It's pretty funny.

And this is really fun for me... Check out this impressive Bed Head!


The pictures don't do it justice. It's such a mess and taming it is just one more thing to do in the mornings! A favorite memory for me alright!

So Big!

Emily's little personality is starting to shine through. I love discovering all the little things that make her unique and very distinct from her sister. Lila has always been fearless, a rough and tumble kid. Emily on the other hand is very cautious. She has recently learned how to stand up all by herself and is so funny to watch because she never just falls back down. Instead, she very gracefully and cautiously sits back down oh, so carefully, never falling! I really think she could walk if she ever got brave enough to try!

She now has three teeth.. two vampire teeth on the top and one center stage on the bottom. I love how my mom put it, "That's very unusual." Not, 'wow that's weird' or 'she's really funny looking', just "unusual." I guess Emily really isn't the typical baby!

Speaking of those teeth.. everything is funny so we see them quite a lot. She is just so happy and good natured. Lila was too but Emily takes it to a whole new level. She is such a joy!

To say she's a champion eater would be an understatement. This girl can EAT!! Not a picky eater at all, again very different from her sister. She will devour anything we put in front of her.. spaghetti being a favorite at the moment. So messy, but Emily doesn't care!


And Mommy's best friend. She is always right at my feet, following me from room to room just to be near.. again, very cautious! This is how we work at the computer... Emily under the desk at my feet just staying close!


She just grew two inches last month so if you are thinking she looks big, you're right!!

Milestone

Lila and I had a deal. When she went potty on the potty, she could get a fish. So, meet our new friends...

Fishy, Fishy and Baby Fishy!

Today was the big day, and after our big celebration we headed out to get our fish friends. Lila could not have been more excited. This has been something we've been talking up for over a week now. She couldn't wait to get those fish home and show her Daddy!
Which poor fish will be ours?

Get ready it might be a stressful ride home in Lila's arms...

Oh Fishy Friends, Lila loves looking at you..

Hugging you...

And telling you secrets...

Please LIVE, at least through the night!!

First Oreo...

I think she likes it...

Catching Up

"The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures."
-Amazing Grace

So many things have happened in the last few weeks. So much that I guess I am just now starting to "catch up" so to speak. We've completed the testing on Emily that we've been waiting so many months to have done, she's had her surgery, we've been out of town, spent wonderful time with family, and are now home and settling back in our every day life. Maybe it's the fact that now things are slowing down and I have time to process all the thoughts, feelings and fears of the past month, or maybe it's that I cleaned out my diaper bag today and found the program to a dear man's funeral, a man that was a great source of encouragement to us during Emily's early days. I'm not sure why I am soaking in all these feelings today of all days but I have just once again been reminded of how amazing life is. How amazing and precious our days on this earth are. How fast they go by. How quickly our children grow. How we are always one doctor's appointment away from devastating news. Through one storm and bracing ourselves for the next. One day closer to the end. One day closer to our prize.

I guess I just don't want to be guilty of ever taking it for granted. I want to celebrate each day and thank God every chance I get for the blessings he continues to wrap us in. My refrigerator is still full of pictures of Emily in the NICU. Today at lunch Lila was looking at them and asked me if Emily was sick. I didn't know what she was talking about at first but Lila pointed to the pictures and my heart welled up with emotion at the remembrance of Emily supported by machines to breathe and eat. Machines to help her live. They've been there for a year now so I really don't give them a second glance anymore. They have just become part of the fridge. Lila caused me to stop and remember and be grateful and thankful for the miracle of Emily. The miracle of all life really, as my nieces' and nephew's pictures are on there as well.

But what really gets me is how I've forgotten. How could I have let things cloud my memory of that agonizing, beautiful, precious time? Week after week of desperate, helpless feelings? I felt them all so strongly when Emily was born. The intense desire to have her healthy and home. The way that each day felt like a week. The joy and celebration that came with each gram of weight gained and every little cc that was added and tolerated with Emily's feedings. The way my heart felt so heavy, yet so grateful. All the many feelings and emotions I had to experience in order for God to draw me closer to Him... to change me...get me through to this other side. To make me the new, more obedient, faithful and trusting me. We've just gone through a BIG year. There have been too many doctor's appointments to count. Too many appointments with bad news and SO many answered prayers for healing.

I'm glad that God worked through Lila to remind me today. I need to remember. He forever changed me with the experiences and journey we walked and I don't want to get so caught up with life that I slump back into that person again. The person I was before. For now I truly know, I've seen, I've felt and experienced God's faithfulness and I don't want to be the old me again. All afternoon the words from Amazing Grace have been going through my mind. If it weren't for His grace where would we be...

Well Traveled

Ten hours there, ten hours back... the girls are very well traveled and good travelers! Three hours into the way home both had "accidents" and were soaked through their diapers, shorts, and car seats. For the rest of the seven hours they had to sit on blankets in their car seats. Emily is just the most laid back baby ever and didn't seem to mind riding the long way home wet. Lila did good too... of course chocolate makes everything better...except maybe a pretty face for a picture! Check out Emily's first tooth... her souvenir from Mimi's house!

A trip to the Farm

Daddy, Uncle Buck and Grandaddy took the kids out to the Farm while the ladies shopped the antique stores downtown and had lunch. Lila was excited to get to ride one of Poppa's real tractors! She's been talking about it for quite some time now! Thanks Uncle Buck for giving them a ride! It was one of the highlights of Lila's trip for sure!

The Headquarters back in the distance...

Charlie's tractor!

Climb in for a ride...

And off you go...


Future Cotton Pickers in training?

I'm not sure about this one.. Kate the future welder???

Silly Girls...

Lila and Kate being silly together...




They made cookies... a "K" for Kate, "C" for Charlie and "L" for Lila. Emily didn't get her own big cookie but had fun eating off the others! They are showing off their cookies minus a few shirts because we had lasagna that night and it's just too hard to get out of clothes!