Recap....

 

 

 

 

....of what a life must be like with four children under the age of ten (ten, eight, five and almost three!) must be like. I have two words for the week with this bunch of children:

~Exhausting.

~Amazing.

Exhausting in that the constant motion doesn't stop. Someone always needs you, is hungry, has hit someone eles in the head, is sitting too closly to someone else, doesn't want a grill cheese but just some bread with cheese, is touching someone else, has turned the outside hose on themselves, has too pee, can't find something, is cold, is hot, is itchy, or just wants "to hold you" (--> that's from Emma) as you are trying to get something that's hot out of the stove.

Amazing in that there are so many hugs and kisses and "i-wlove-yous" that you tend (okay, that may be stretching it) to forget that you briefly considered leaving all of them at the playground. ;) It is amazing in that children show every emotion they have and that love is a big part of that.

Emma? Well, she LOVED playing with her niece and nephews. She especially loved Viktoria, who would chase her, slide her cookies/candy, teach her new and fun ways to jump off of the couch and then chase her some more. But being off schedule for a two year old is NUTS not the thing to do so there were some periods of meltdowns. Like when she smacked poor Viktoria in the head with a crystal-type of ornament....or laid on the floor screaming like a banshee because she dropped her cookie, never mind that she was laying on the floor screaming right next to the dropped cookie.

The Hilbert crew has left this morning and now we are getting excited about the Bergman crew coming in tonight. Rachel, Robert's niece, and her husband, Luke are expecting their first child (and it's a GIRL!) so we are REALLY excited about that. And hopefully, Hannah will remember her camera to take some photos of Emma.

But right now?

I'm sneaking back to bed.... :)

Happy Thankgiving...

...to each of you. Thank you for being a part of my life and know that you all are so very precious to me.

Photos to follow....as i'm busy burning food. ;)

In full bloom...

 

 

 

 

I love plants. I always have. I'm pretty sure that i got my love of plants from my grandfather, who would take me out with him to tend to his roses and his tomato plants. I was three and i still remember following him, happy as a clam to be asked to come help 'tend'. I had my own little water can and i still remember him letting me smell the tomatoes and roses. What sweet memories to have! Emma also loves LOVES flowers. She loves to smell them, touch them, hold them; just like i do.

My grandmother also loved plants but her plants were more of the indoor variety. She and my mother would grow Christmas Cactus and they would always bloom right before Christmas. These are simply beautiful, beautiful plants and one of my favorites. This plants in these photos are the last plant that my father bought for my Mama before she passed away for their anniversary. For the past two years, this particular plant has had amazing blooms. Such a beautiful color! I like to think that my Mom can see these beautiful blooms...how she would love this plant!

Emma, of course, is fascinated with this plant. She loves to touch it, feel the texture of the leaves and sit near it. It is cute to see her 'twouch gwently wit one fingwer'...

My sister and her children are here visiting. It's interesting that this plant went into full bloom the day that they showed up here....

Photo Wednesday....

 

 

 

 

Oh. My. Cake Balls....

 

I love to bake. I love to bake and give whatever it is i've baked, away to neighbors or to friends. The only rule i have about baking is that whatever i've baked MUST LEAVE THE HOUSE when i'm done. I have no dang self control will power. I don't know how to eat "just one" of anything.

Especially these beauties.

These beauties are called Cake Balls. Or, if you put them on a stick, you can then call them "Cake Pops". I found the recipe on my favorite site "Bakerella". She is amazing. Really. I love her site and love seeing all of the recipes and goodies that she makes. She has to be one of the most creative women that i've ever seen with food.

I would love to be her BBF. Honest.

This recipe is so simple that it's insane. I had to read the recipe over and over again because i couldn't believe that it was that simple.

Oh? What's that? You'd like the recipe?

Then click HERE to go to her amazing site...but don't blame me if you can't eat just one Cake Ball or Bake Pop!

Leaves and Friends....

 

 

 

 

....a play date of sorts a while back with Melinda and her cute little son, Cooper. Emma loves being outside just as much as Cooper does, so it was a beautiful day to take some photos. Little Cooper's photos turned out amazing; he is truly a beautiful little boy with a smile that will melt your heart. No wonder Emma will chase him to kiss him!

Now, then, the only work left to do is to actually rake the leaves instead of just play in them. :)

The Heart.....

Do you know how the heart functions?

No, this isn't a test....but it's been a long time since i've given any thought to my heart. I guess you could say that i may do take my heart for granted. It pumps and does it job correctly, so it isn't something that i usually think about. Why add more to my worry list? ;)

And so, i usually don't think about how my heart functions at all much, less think about how amazing my heart is. And how amazing it is that God put us together with a heart and how all of our insides work in perfect timing. I honestly consider the human body one of God's most remarkable works...

Here are some facts about our hearts:

The heart that beats in your chest is a powerful muscle that is slightly larger than your clenched fist. Your heart works as a pump to send oxygen-rich blood through all parts of your body. This blood contains oxygen and nutrients that every cell in your body needs to survive. The oxygen-rich blood travels throughout your arteries and your vessels, nourishing your body so that it can function properly.

Here is something REALLY COOL: Your heart will beat an average of 100,000 times PER DAY....and in that time, it pumps MORE than 4,300 gallons of blood throughout your entire body. Isn't that amazing?

So, like i mentioned, when you think your heart is working, none of this seems too fascinating.

Until, of course, well, a doctor thinks you should have an ecocardiogram and an EKG.

And that person was me....and i had these done yesterday.

Laying in a darken room, the woman who was doing the ecocardiogram, explained to me what she was going to do and what i was going to hear. It sounded pretty basic as i was laying there but all of a sudden, i saw my heart. I was stunned as i watched it clench up and relax, pumping blood as it was suppose to. It was truly one of the most amazing sites that i have ever seen. My heart was doing what it was suppose to do, without missing a beat. And then, i heard it. It was a strong, solid beat...and i became overwhelmed. For so much of my life, i've taken my health for granted. After all, there was so much other stuff to do and enjoy. And even though i've ignored my heart (and body....another post all together) it has continued to beat, taking care of me.

It was also one of those moments that you truly understand how great God is...

I continued to watch my heart beat and stare at the monitor where i could watch my heart. I vowed to take better care of it, to do the things i know i need to do on a daily basis instead of on a 'when-ever-i-feel-like-it' basis. I apologized to God for not taking care of myself as i should have. We are what we are because of Him and we owe it to Him to take the best care of ourselves that we can.

The EKG was pretty boring compared to the ecocardiogram. But the woman who was administering the EKG told me that "everything looks great!" so i was thankful to hear that. As i dressed, i wondered how i would have acted if "everything WASN'T great"...and i realized that in that case, i would have no one to blame but myself.

It is odd how when you become a Mommy, you realize how important you are to those around you. Not only as a maid or a "item-of-lost-things-finder" but as Mommy who is much loved by her family. Emma, well, loves me. She runs to me, wants hugs and kisses, wants my attention, wants me to teach her things, to color with her, wants me to take care of and protect her. How can i take care of my impossibly cute daughter if i don't take good care of me? But to take care of me, means taking time away from her and this home and i feel guilty when i do that. I've never been one to put myself first. It's always been someone else, or something else that i've been more concerned with. But as a Mommy, i'm not doing a good job of being a Mommy if i don't take care of myself first. How can i take good care of someone if i don't take the time to take care of myself?

When i get home, there is mail from my new doctor. Dr. Smith is fantastic. Really. I found him through a friend's recommendation and i'm so glad i went to him. He has sent me a letter about my recent blood work. He's happy that "almost all of my numbers look great"....but my cholesterol number is off the chart at 269 (yeah, that's NOT a typo, my friends) and we will have to address that immediately. Of course, when i saw the number "269" my first thought was "dang, that's a GREAT number! Look at how high it is!" Too bad for me, that's not exactly the correct way to read that number--higher is NOT better apparently.

Oh, yeah. FUN TIMES! Fun times ahead for me, folks...sigh.

So, i need to stop all of this flapping my jaw and get to work. Instead of my "power" walks in the mornings (which have really become a "power strolls") i need to move my you-know-what. The Y, which i've become lazy about, is now back on my schedule even if i need to go by myself. (Yeah, i know, i need to pull up the big girl panties and go even when my fun friends don't go....) And i am planning a menu to follow as a guideline. The dairy stuff will be cut to a minimum, as will breads. I will eat more fresh foods, more veggies, more fish and little prepackaged stuff. Now that i see the seriousness of this "269" number, it would be irresponsible of me to not to everything and anything i can do to make it better.

Emma needs and deserves a healthy Mommy...

I can sometimes get cranky. Especially when i don't inhale lots of carbs. Just know if any of you come anywhere NEAR me with a doughnut or a cupcake, well, let's just say you've been warned. If i don't rip it out of your hand and eat it, i may chase you till you give up and just hand it over. So, be sure to hide anything with yummy carbs in it when i'm around looking like a cranky carb addict... 8-)

Halloween.....

 

...Emma's first Halloween as the "Be-Happy-Bee".

 

...Emma's second Halloween as the "Pretty Ladybug".

 

...Emma this year as a "Black Kitty-Cat".

I am at a loss for words as i look back over these photos.

She's growing up....