Gingerbread House

I have never made a Gingerbread House, so we bought one while we were out doing last minute Christmas shopping. OK was estatic about decorating it. CTW and I put it together ahead of time and allowed it to dry per the instructions. Then we set up the decorations. OKW had a blast putting candies on it. The only problem is she wanted them all on the roof. Too much candy on the roof caused it to cave-in, so I don't have a picture of the finished product. We had a great time decorating and singing Christmas carols.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!! CTW is at work and will be for a while tonight, since Bucky's smokes at least 600 turkeys during Thanksgiving week, and I am sitting on the couch going over all the things I am thanksful for. The last several months have been tough for me with some major changes going on around me, so it is nice to look at the things I am thankful for.

1. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ--Thanks for providing for my family. When we think we aren't going to make it through, you always remind us of your provision and presence. You show up through all of the below. Your word encourages, teaches, and leads us. You show us when we need to step up and when we need to step back. You lead us step by step through this amazing journey.

2. CTW-he is the most amazing husband. I give him a hard time and sometimes he really gets on my nerves, but he is the one constant in my life. So amazing at loving me and OK. He provides comfort, laughter, and a swift kick in the behind when needed. He values me and loves me through everything. He lifts me up when I am my lowest and he helps me celebrate the highs. He loves our little girl like no one else ever will. He takes care of us and works so hard to get us through. Thanks you CTW for being the greatest.

3. OKW--she is the most amazing thing God has ever given me. She gave us a huge scare getting into this world, but here she is so vibrant and full of life. Her love and laughter gets me through the days. She tries me in every way imaginable, but she shows me how much I can love. Thanks to my sweet and loving girl.

4. My family--I wouldn't make it through without them. They lift me up and set me straight when I need it. Thanks to the greatest family ever.

5. Friendships--Since OKW was born, I have struggled finding myself again. I haven't truely recovered from everything that happened and where I fit. Thanks to the wonderful friends that have helped me find a hint of myself again.

6. Our God-Loving Church--Thanks to TFBC for having a preschool minister that loves our children and to our SS teachers that love us and encourage us. Thanks to the Lord for new beginnings. We look forward to seeing where our church will go.

There are so many things that I am thankful for and these are just a few. I hope you all can take a moment to reflect on the things that you are thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families!!

Bedtime Songs

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

There's just something about that name

Master, Savior, Jesus

Like the fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Let all Heaven and Earth proclaim

Kings and Kingdoms

Will all pass away

But there's something about that name

CTW and I were both raised in Southern Baptist Churches and I am the daughter of a Music Minister, so hymns come to us naturally. I can remember instead of singing lullabies to OK in the middle of the night, singing good old fashioned hymns. For some reason this one has stuck and now OK requests it before bed every night. She can sing pretty much the whole thing by herself and loves singing with us.

Lately she has been asking a lot of questions about Jesus and we do our best to answer them on her level of understanding. Today in the car, she told us that she didn't want any stinky boys knocking on her door, just Jesus. I almost cried. She is so funny! I am amazed how much she gets and how much she changes things around.

Tonight when putting her to bed, I was reminded at how amazing(and scary) the job of parenthood is. She absorbs everything we do and never forgets. I love that she has picked up my love for hymns and I hope she will always remember that there is truely something about the name of Jesus.

Dance Class

Last year when we attended CPW's dance recital(or recycle as OKW called it), OKW has been begging to take dance. My sister gets a discount for enrolling a second child, so thanks to aunt KC, OK started class last week. She did really great and enjoyed herself, especially getting ready to go. I think she pulled her tutu and leotard out three weeks ago. We will see how things go. Here are a couple of pictures.

My New Nephew

Welcome to the world little Elijah Rome. He was born June 2, 2010 at 12:07 am. He weighed in at 7 lbs 6 ozs and is 20 inches long. Mom was a real trouper and everyone is doing great. I am so amazed at the joy a baby brings. OK was fascinated with him and kept telling everyone we encountered that he was the cutest baby in the world. She did really great with him and only kissed him 100 times. Thank you Lord for letting everything go great and giving me a new person to love and pray for.

I'm a Slacker

I have been a real slacker about posting lately, so I have updated with several posts below. Enjoy!!!

The 1st Swim Day of the Summer

My parents opened their pool a couple of weeks ago and Saturday was the first day we got a chance to get in. It was definitely a hot day. It took OK all of 2 seconds to get in the water(my little water baby). She enjoyed jumping in and swimming around. She is so very proud of herself for getting in the deep water.

Trip to the Columbia Zoo

On May 1st we made a trip to Columbia to take OK and CPW to the zoo. It was definitely hot, but not as hot as it could have been. We bought a bottomless ICEE cup and filled it up at least 8 times. Needless to say, none of us want an ICEE for a while.

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Strawberry Picking

My mom, sisters, and I threw my sister-in-law a baby shower a few weeks ago. My mom and I thought it would be a great idea to serve fresh strawberries since they are in season. On a very hot Friday morning we loaded OK up and went to the patch. She had a blast. I instructed her that she could only pick the ones that were red all the way to the end. The first one she picked, she squeezed it so I told her to go ahead and eat that one. I think everyone that she picked after that, she ate. There was no denying how many she ate since the evidence was all over her hands and face. I think she ate at least 20. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Dancing with the Stars

OK's favorite show these days is Dancing with the Stars(don't judge me). She loves imitating the dances with her daddy. We only let her watch a little of it, but it is amazing how it lights up her face. I think it is because she is dancing with her daddy. This was the outfit that she chose for Monday nights dance.

Easter 2010

What have I been up to? Sewing...and(see next post)

When CTW and I got married we had a hard time agreeing on what type of bedding we wanted. He didn't want anything too girly and I didn't like anything he picked out, so we found a kakhi duvet cover that we still like. What a great choice. I have never been able to find shams and curtains that I like to go with the comforter. So, when my mom got a new sewing machine for Christmas, I got an idea. CTW alotted me some money from our tax return to buy fabric. My wonderful mom did most of the work, but I did some of it. I haven't sewed anything since the 9th grade and I don't even want to count how long ago that was. We made three valances, two shams, and all of the throw pillows. Thanks to my wonderful mom. I love you so much.

Making Bows

Before my dear friend Annie moved away(I miss you so much), she taught me how to make bows. CTW was so excited because this saves us money. Let me add to this by saying I am not at all crafty, so I have definitely surprised myself.

Lately, I have been wondering what else I am capable of. I am not really good at coming up with things off the top of my head, but I do follow instructions well. So, I started searching of new type of bows to make online. The first two are flower-loop bows and the last two are ponytail holders with streamers.

Ears

When OK was about 9 mos old, I started talking about getting her ears pierced. CTW's told me that we wouldn't have them done until she asked for it. I think he thought that would be when she was 10 or 11. Well, around Thanksgiving she started mentioning it when we were walking in the mall. We kinda would shrug it off and ignore it, but recently she has really been pushing. So after a lot of discussion, we decided that it would be okay to get them done.

My sister and neice were going to spend the day with us today, and Cass had decided she was ready. We were going to get hers done back in Dec after her birthday, but she chickened out. Well, when she said she was ready today, we jumped on the opportunity. We got to the mall and went straight to Claire's. Cass went first. She did so good, she didn't even make a sound while they were piercing them. It was after she got out of the chair, that she decided it was okay to cry. OK went next. She wanted to sit in my lap. She did so good while they were getting ready. The ear gun clicked, she gasped, and started to cry. She only cried for a few minutes and then it was over. After she got her chocolate chip cookie for doing so good, she looked at me and said,"It hurt a little bit, but I was brave."

Birthday Pictures

We went to our favorite place, Portrait Innovations, to get OK's 3 year pictures taken. I love being able to take the pictures home with me that day instead of waiting weeks to get them. She did so good. We also did Easter pictures that day. I would wait to show them, but will probably forget. Check out my sweet girl.

Happy Birthday to Our Little Princess

I can't even believe that it has been 3 years since OK joined our family. I never imagined the love that I would feel for her. We have spent everyday enjoying the miracle that she is. So many things could have gone wrong but by the Grace of our Lord, she is here and thriving. Her favorite things are anything pink, the princesses, Dora, going to church, seeing her friends, and of course "Her" Cassie. I can't believe the things that she comes up with sometimes. The way she imagines things and dramatizes things blows my mind. She shows us daily the good and bad things that we teach her. She is amazing, so much a mix of CTW and I. She continues to act a lot like me and look more like her dad, but I see a little more of CTW in her everyday. I can't wait to see what the next year will bring.

We started the day by putting about 50 balloons in her room before she woke up. She was so excited when she saw them(this was CTW's idea, so I can't take credit). Then we sang Happy Birthday and got dressed and headed out to her party. We celebrated her birthday with family and friends at Pump-It-Up. It was a wonderful party and we had so much fun. I think the parents and grandparents enjoyed it just as much as the kids did. I can't believe the love that we felt from everyone there. Thanks to everyone that could come and we missed those that couldn't make it. Enjoy the pictures.

***If any of you that attended took pictures, will you pass them along. I would love to have copies. My pictures didn't come out as good I would have liked.

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Bye, Bye Paci

Okay, so I have been dreading this moment since we gave her a paci after two days after coming home from the hospital. We have been telling her for a while that 3 year olds can't have a paci, so when she turned 3 paci would go away. For the last couple of weeks she has been waking up two to three times every night looking for her paci. So we decided that was enough reason not to wait until her birthday. I started at naptime on Monday. I think she cried for 30 to 45 minutes. It was absolutely heartbreaking and I had to go out into the garage for a while. She was snuffing when she finally cried herself to sleep. Monday night there wasn't a ton of crying, just a lot of calling for us. She would try to reason with us why she should have her paci. She would say, "I'm still two", "I'm your baby, mommy", and "I don't want to be a big girl anymore." We stuck with although I didn't want to. Tuesday was a lot better. She kept asking for it all day, but no crying at naptime and bedtime went a lot smoother. Today has been great. She hasn't really even asked for it. Hopefully it will keep getting easier. I do have to admit that I hate it. It means she is growing up and becoming more independant. She still looked like a baby when she had her paci. I can't believe she will be 3 in a couple of days. It is so surreal that it has gone by so fast.

Car Conversations

So, anyone who knows my daughter knows she talks all the time. We have some of our best conversations in the car(probably because we are in it so much). Here are a few examples or recent conversations:
#1--We were coming home from my mom's
OK: Are we going home now?
Me: Yes, we will be there in a few minutes
OK: Where is my daddy?
Me: He should be at home when we get there.
OK: You are married to my daddy.
Me: Yes, I am.
OK: Who am I going to marry?
Me: I don't know, but I pray for him every day.
OK: I think I will marry daddy.
Me: You can't marry daddy.
OK: Well, what about Papa.
Me: You can't marry Papa either, he's married to Grandma.
(After a long pause, this was her response)
OK: Well, I guess I will marry God!!

#2--After Church on Sunday
Me: What did you learn today in your class?
OK: Well, there was this boy and he had lots of money. Then he lost his money and had to go sleep with the piggies. It was really muddy, and then he went home.

Can you guess the story?
Chad and I half-laughed and half-cried. We couldn't believe how much she had retained.

Snow/Ice Day

Oh how beautiful!! At least that is what OK said when she got up this morning. She has been so excited since we saw it snowing on TV last night. It wasn't doing anything before she went to bed last night. She even asked if she could pray for Jesus to make it snow. She closed her little eyes and said, "Jesus, please let it snow." Shortly after we laid her down it started to snow. We actually got her out of bed to let her see it(you never know if it will happen again around her). I even took her out on the back deck so it could fall on her for a few minutes. Her first words this morning was ,"Did it snow?" We took her over to the window and that is where she pretty much stayed most of the day. We had to open all the blinds so that she could keep looking out. After breakfast, we bundled up and took a walk outside. Although, it was mostly ice, we let her walk around in it and actually build an "ICEMAN" on the deck box. She was so elated and didn't stop smiling. She even asked if we could turn the porch light on tonight so she could still enjoy looking out.