Please pray

for Mary Clare today.

Update: she made it through the MRI just fine!
She is groggy but was able to tell me on the phone that
"it felt like I just blinked!" What a brave girl!
No initial report from the MRI, which is good news (nothing serious)
and we'll find out next week if they were able to locate any damage
that could be causing her to still have pain and limping after all these months.
Thanks so much for your prayers!

She's at the children's hospital with Steven
having the MRI for her knee injury
and has to have IV sedation.

She's very scared and I'm very sad
I can't be there. Baby is sick with
cough and double ear infections.

May it go smoothly and may we find
an easy answer to her knee problems.
May we have a healthy 2009!

If you can also offer a prayer for my cousin M
and her little girl K
who is recovering from surgery yesterday.
And for my other friend Danielle
whose baby was stillborn on this day last year.

Thanks for your prayers, friends!

Looking off into tomorrow...

is that an airplane they see in the distance?
i sure hope so!

What we learned today...

how to write with a pen
he thinks he's such a big boy!

look, mommy!
they're all in the right "pockets"!!!

My Heart's at Home Daybook-Jan 13

Outside My Window ...
it's sunny and cold, but inside we're toasty warm and dark. I need to open the blinds!
***

I am listening to...
classical music on the iPod...I think the selection right now is the Nutcracker.
We love the iPod dock!
***

Towards rhythm and beauty ...
Our life seems everything BUT rhythmic and beautiful right now. Runny noses, I've lost my voice, coughing, whining, missing Daddy. I've resolved to smile more this week :)

***

I am thankful for ...
my home, Steven's new job, my parents who are helping me a lot this week.
***

From the kitchen ...We're eating convenience foods this week! And lots of fruit smoothies.

***

I am wearing ...
a new black shirt that seems to be "stylish", jeans, and my sketcher crocks-type Mary Janes

***

I am creating ...
a list of moms to start a Charlotte Mason book club,
a list of books to purchase for this new semester
some new framed photos for our home

***
On my iPod
100 Most Popular Classical Songs (or something like that) from iTunes
***
Towards a real education ...
We found a website about US states yesterday and played around there.
We have 2 friends moving overseas in the next week, and a Daddy on a business trip
out of state. Lots of geography this week!
***

Bringing beauty to my home ...
trying to smile and capture the crazy moments in my mind and my heart
***

I am reading ...
just checked out Left to Tell and The Strong Willed Child from the library
but I've chosen to read my 10 cent Southern Living magazines
and Pottery Barn kids catalogs so far.
Trying to read a bit from the bible each morning

***

I am hoping ...
Mary Clare's MRI for her knee on Saturday isn't too traumatic
and yields helpful results. She has to be put under sedation at the children's hospital.
I'm worried sick. And missing my hubby. Hoping he doesn't get snowed in.
Please keep us in prayer!

***

Around the house ...
I am trying to catch up on the never ending laundry but am at least staying on top of
the dishes. The girls are supposed to be cleaning the playroom.
Mary Clare is trying to convince her sister to clean right now.
***
One of my favorite things ...
The one-piece long sleeve romper thing that Stevie is wearing today. Blue with a helicopter! It's 24 months but fits him perfectly and is so much easier than the pants/shirts combos on a baby.

***

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
To smile, make some special sacrifices for single moms, stay on top of our schoolwork,
and TRUST in God's goodness!

***
Here is a picture thought I am sharing~

baby boy playing in the backyard recently. I love how the sun is shining on him.
He probably has a pebble in his hand he's about to eat!

One of these days

I'm not going to feel like a sardine in my own bed
I'm not going to be awakened by voices whining for breakfast
I'm not going to have children at my feet in the shower
I'm not going to have endless laundry to do
I'm not going to be schooling children every day
I'm not going to have owiees to tend to
I'm not going to hear "WIPE ME" from the bathroom
I'm not going to have ponytail holders littering the floors
I'm not going to spend half the day looking for matching mini socks
I'm not going to have a car filled with toys
I'm not going to find sippy cups in the strangest of places
I'm not going to buckle carseats over and over again
I'm not going to have a baby needing to be held
I'm not going to worry about my children getting lost in public
I'm not going to need to cook dinner for 5 every night
I'm not going to have to wipe down nasty high chairs
I'm not going to have a baby who eats every small object in sight
I'm not going to have children who want endless books read to them
I'm not going to coerce them into the bath, then coerce them out of the bath
I'm not going to check if my babies are breathing at night
I'm not going to stay up late, worried about their health
I'm not going to have snuggly children surrounding me day and night.
And one of those days (if I make it) I'm going to be one bored, lonely lady.

Manic Monday

cigarette butts
(took this pic from far away
and didn't realize what he was holding!
hope he didn't eat it!)

baby butts


forever friends
(some of this crew is moving overseas
tomorrow...best wishes, g family!)


trapped in the basketball net


i thought we had a giant playhouse
to play house?
why is all this in the kitchen???

my crazy life.

So I don't forget

just how adorably cute you are in camo pants
heading for your favorite broom
and holding your favorite soap bottle
and sporting your new haircut :)
how i love you, stevie joe!

For NeNe

Emily's new ballet costume.

taken by MC

A beautiful video about the Catholic Church

CatholicsComeHome.org

Ellie

is keeping me company tonight after she took a very late nap. She doesn't want to go lay in her bed with her sister and daddy..."I don't want to sleep with two people. I want to sleep with one people." (I guess she'd fail that one in the plural/singular game-see below, LOL!)

The Plural/Singular Game

Steven started a new game at dinner tonight and the girls LOVED it! He gave them a noun and they gave him the plural form. Ellie even did a great job with words like "tooth"! But the best one of the evening where MC earned a high five was "brother-in-law". Would you get it right?

I stumped Daddy with "curriculum" :)

Video from Fishing Outing

I was chastised for not including the videos on the post about their fishing adventure. So here goes! (The videos are short because the camera battery was dying and kept cutting off!)

Ellie just misses a big bass


MC catches a big one (see picture on post below)

the other one won't load so I'll try again later!

Doing my morning prayers, still half-asleep

"Our Father, who art in Heaven....
....but deliver us from email. Amen"

Learning the 10 Commandments today

Me, at dinner: "Girls, why don't you tell Daddy one of the commandments you learned today?"
Mary Clare: "Don't take somebody else's wife."
Ellie: "Sunday."

Fishing with Daddy

I wasn't there, I probably won't caption these quite right,
(maybe Daddy will edit)
but I know they had a fun time!
As Steven said, "We smoked 'em!"

Ellie checking out the grubs!

First catch...a little perch!


First bass


Another bass


Big fish for some little girls!


What a fun fishing outing they had
on a cold Sunday afternoon!

Birthday Memories!

At the bead store...what fun!

Making a cool birthday bracelet

Mama and Mini-Me

Opening paints from NeNe

Party in the bed of Daddy's new truck!


Putting together our New Year's treats for neighbors


Opening presents birthday night
Thank you, Marilyn!


Her first "real" big girl fishing rod
(she's out using it right now!)


Playing in the backyard with our overnight guest,
BopBop (Steven's dad), who helped
Daddy organize the garage and new garage office
Tomorrow officially starts Daddy's new job
with a HOME office...YAY!!!


Picking flowers in the yard


At the cousin birthday party


So beautiful


Yummy ice cream!


American Girl Party with her cousins;
the dolls had their own tea party!


mini-Emily!


and some new clothes for big doll Emily!


What a fun birthday weekend! We were blessed to have BopBop spend the night, meet with NeNe and PaPa and our good friends for a trip to the nearby old shopping village, and then share an American Girl birthday party with her cousin on Saturday. Today was spent at mass and lunch with NeNe and PaPa and then fishing with Daddy! We look forward to starting the new year tomorrow, with Daddy starting his new job and us back to school.

The past few weeks were filled with such joy and blessings and time with family and friends. We've been showered with love and gifts and are energized to begin a FINE 2009! Thanks to all our blog friends for their prayers and encouragement in '08 and we look forward to sharing a new year of Blair's Blessings with you all! God bless!

I love you,

my big SIX YEAR-OLD!!!

7 Quick Takes Friday (#3 I think)

Since I'll be writing this around midnight I thought I'd start my 7 Quick Takes early!

~~1~~
Ellie looked utterly adorable this morning.
In her striped tights and pigtail braids.
I just wanted to eat her up!
Until she coughed so much she threw up all over her clothes
and the couch...


~~2~~
This is what my kitchen looked/looks like.
The kids are asleep but the kitchen mess remains.
I had to take a picture because it was too funny
how Ellie was climbing the counter
and Stevie the dishwasher.
The girls were actually helping unload the dishwasher :)


~~3~~
My parents gave us a Magic Bullet blender
a few years back.
Never knew what to use it for.
Steven suggested making smoothies about a week ago.
I dug it out of the garage.
This is MUCH cheaper than Jamba Juice!
And really yummy!


~~4~~
I've realized I have an obsession
with striped leggings on little girls.
Aren't they just so cute?
The more rainbow-y, the better!


~~5~~
Can you guess what I was making tonight?

need to go dig it out of the freezer.
It's Oreo balls! I'll try to take a picture
of the finished product tomorrow.
YUM.
I also baked chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies,
and dipped pretzels today.
A little New Year's bake-a-thon for our neighbors :)

~~6~~
We got this off the side of our street yesterday.
Someone was throwing it out because there was
some slight water damage on the bottom.
It's $120 at Target.
Mary Clare was thrilled!
Steven Sr...not so much.

I'm going to write a post soon about all
the things in the house that were giveaways.
We know how to dumpster dive!

~~7~~
Shameless self portrait.
To show mother how I love the sweater
and mother-in-law how I've loved the apron
I am very blessed in the mother department!

And these pictures, especially the 2nd one
with me taking a deep breath
are to remind me that I need to go tackle the sink.
ahhhhhhhh.

It's 12:09am
HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY, MARY CLARE!
although she wasn't born until the evening.
I'll have a birthday post later.

onto the kitchen....
or to bed???
kitchen....
bed????
To be continued

Where were you when 2009 began?

I'm sure you were out to dinner,
out doing fireworks,
out partying with friends,
in watching the ball in Times Square,
in having a bubbly with your loved one,
or maybe just in fast asleep.

Can you guess where I was?

?

?

?

?

?

?

(note the adorable cupcake PJ pants from NeNe!)
Yes, I was hanging up little girls' dresses
as I heard the fireworks going off.
My family is asleep
(well except the one who is coughing right now. ughh)
and I decided to tackle the laundry tonight.

Uneventful, you say?

Actually, it was quite an event
to finally have this newly termed
"Folding Room" ie guest room
not looking like this anymore...

Yes, those piles are highly organized.
But oh, when the children ruin them
while trying to find a piece of clothing!

I do understand now why that Duggar Family
has a closet-room for all the family's clothing.
It sure makes a lot more sense
to have all the clothes in one place,
at least when there are little ones who need help
choosing clothes and dressing,
Can't wait to see how it works for you, Veronica!

So it's been about a month since the clothes have been put away.
Now most of them are home in their dressers.
I am home at my blog.
and 2009 is here...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
May 2009 be a year of hope, joy, and blessings
for all of us!