Map to Heaven

Well today was one of those days that Kennedie has had me laughing non-stop! And I really don't think she means to, she's just growing up so fast and the things she says are so darn cute! I had to come in here and write them down before I forgot about them. Here's a few from our morning...enjoy!
Before James got deployed, his unit had a meeting for the families and they handed out these little camoflauge Bibles. (side note: she told James 2 nights ago that camo was her new favorite color...he says it's his too...oh my!) Anyways, she came out of Sunday school this week and was telling me about the Bible verse that they had learned and how she wanted to practice it. So since then, she's been carrying this camo Bible and her princess pink Bible all around the house, pretending to look up Colossians! She is such a hoot! Well, this morning she informs me that she's "had this camo Bible for years now...you know, since I was in the Marine Corps!" I really thought I was going to fall over! It's so hard not to laugh because I really don't want to discourage her from talking openly, or embarass her!

**Later as she was flipping through it again, she shows me this map and says, "you know what this is Mommy? It's the map to Heaven!"

Oh, sweet girl, you just melt my heart!

**And one last story...we were driving her to school (yes, all of these stories happened between waking up and getting to school...it was a full morning!) and she says, "don't you think it would be cool to be a snake?"

"Mmm, I guess so," I said.

"Then you could feel all the textures on your tummy! Like slimy, gooey...and wood chips in the jungle!"

Wow...the things my 5 year old thinks about...all before 9am!!! And, I just loved her use of the word textures! She never stops surprising me.

Time for Tea

Last week, we had one day that was just beautiful! {Notice K's shorts!} We were all in the backyard and I decided to go in and get K's tea set for them to play with. I filled it with ice water (it's the kind that the cups turn color when filled with cold water), and let them have at it. They had a ball! Here's a few pics...

Night Night, Manny

Colton's newest favorite character is Handy Manny on Disney. Miss Ashley gave him this cute Manny for Christmas and he now sleeps with Colton every night and every day at naptime. We've developed a little routine that is just so cute that I had to document it!
We lay Manny down, cover him up and say, "Night night, Manny." Then Colton lays down, takes his drink and blanket, turns on his little aquarium (aka- bubbles), pats Manny, and says "night night baby." {note: baby=Colton!} This happens in this exact same order...every time we lay him down! He's so fun right now...I could just eat him up!

January 7th

January 7th 2008 was one of the hardest days I've experienced as an adult. I can thankfully say that I haven't had to deal with much death in my life, and what little I have, not much of it has been very close to me. Yes, I have lost grandparents, each special in their own way. But last January 7th I lost one of my best friends, Angela. She was one of the most beautiful people that I've ever known. She brought laughter and light into every room and always knew just what to say. She was one of those friends that would send you a card in the mail, just because. She really had quite an amazing story. She received a liver transplant almost 5 years ago (she actually called me the morning she got the call and asked James and I to drive her to the hospital!) and did great with it. It gave her several more years with her two beautiful daughters and husband, that without, she would not have had. She had a few more bumps in the road healthwise, but she never dwelled on that. Instead, she wanted to know about your day, your life, what was going on with you. She was a constant source of happiness and joy. I am so very thankful that I was able to call her one of my very best friends for the past 13 years. I miss her infectious laugh and beautiful smile, but I know that she is healthy and no longer hurting. I know that she misses each of us, but she knows what is waiting for us, and it is greater than we know.
Another good friend of mine was scheduled to deliver her sweet baby girl M last Monday, but after taking a look at her lungs and the results of her amnio, the doctor decided that it would be best to wait until today, January 7th. So, baby M came into the world at 8:09 am on January 7th, 2009...what a beautiful day it turned out to be! God is so great!

Willow Memories

Several years ago, I started collecting Willow Tree figures. They are so classic and timeless and I just think they are so beautiful! I was explaining to my friend Candice the other day how James had just put them all back on the mantle after Christmas and I needed to reorganize and put them in the right order...she thought I was a nut! My Willows tell a story. I took pictures to help explain...

The 1st thing on my mantle (not pictured here...) is a small Church. This shows my love for my Church, then the angel holding the flag close to her heart, love of country. My sister gave me this one right after James left for Iraq and it is one of my most cherished ones. The next one shows man and wife.




The next one shows a pregnant mommy, showing my pregnancy with Kennedie Lane. Then an angel holding a small child...K.















Then there's a Mommy looking down at her daughter, followed by another pregnancy...Colton! I have 2 of the exact same figures symbolizing my 2 pregnancies.

And finally, an angel helping a little toddler learn to walk.

I've been wanting to document these and what they each mean to me for a long time now! I need to do the same thing for my charm bracelet one day...

Prima Ballerina

After seeing these tulle tutus everywhere for the past year or so (and not wanting to pay a ton for one), I decided to try to make one for Miss K. Here's the final product! I love the way it turned out and she loved it so much, she wore it to her dance class yesterday!

The 2nd picture is her with her American Girl doll that she got for her birthday from Granny and Poppa. She has renamed her Kate. Kate got several new outfits for Christmas...and one was a dance outfit, seen here. She even has leg warmers and ballet slippers! So fun!

Indoor Range!

Here's a picture of Daddy and K "down range" with the new M60 Nerf Machine Gun...they have so much fun with it! They even set up targets...cups, empty water bottles, zoo animal figurines...you name it. The one thing they are absolutely NOT allowed to shoot...Barbies or Babies!

Watch out Brother!!!