UNhappy birthday to me!

Quick...someone call the Waaaaahmbulance...I need to vent. Yes, today is my 38th birthday. Normally birthdays don't phase me, but suddenly 38 sounds so old.

To top it off, both of my girls are sick today. Actually, Emily has been sick since Monday night. Abby started getting sick last night. I spent the majority of last night awake with Abby running a fever of 104 degrees. Tylenol did nothing for it. I finally gave her Motrin and it brought it down to 102.

Then we have the weather...it's freezing outside. Literally, there's ice everywhere! No going out for a fun birthday lunch with Perry for me today!

Waah, waah, waah...sorry for the whiney post today. I'm just hoping I'm not the next one to be getting sick. However, that's usually the case so I'm already dreading it.

All About Emily

Yep...this entry is all about Emily. This was a busy weekend for her. Saturday morning, she had to be at school at 5am for another winter guard competition. (More on that later.) That night, she attended the McKinney Boyd Winter Formal. No date this time. Thank goodness! She and a friend from the winter guard went together. The two of them met up with some more girls from the squad at the dance and they all had a great time.

Speaking of great...doesn't she look awesome?!?! Those that know me well, know that I am a bargain shopper so I have to share the details of Emily's million-dollar look. The dress was found at a consignment store for $14. The shoes were on clearance for a whopping $8.94. The necklace was another clearance item for $6.99. Thankfully, I already had a pair of earrings and a bracelet that matched the necklace perfectly. I wish I could be so lucky to find such great bargains on everything a teenager needs! Oh, and the best part? Emily LOVED all of it. I didn't force any of my bargain hunting finds on her. LOL!

As I mentioned earlier, Emily and the other girls on the Winter Guard had another competition this past Saturday. Out of 13 schools competing, McKinney Boyd won 4th place honors. Another interesting fact: The 3 teams that place ahead of them were advanced to the next level by the judges. Hopefully that will place our girls in the running for a first place trophy in the near future! Below is the video of this week's performance. When the video starts, Emily is in the 2nd group from the right and is the girl on the right in their group of three.




Here's the You Tube link to watch it from their site. If you go to the website, there is a link under the right corner of the viewing screen that allows you to view it in HD. It provides a bigger screen and better clarity. You can actually see Emily and tell that it's her! LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6V5yygFdzk

You've Gotta Try This...

I'm not usually one to do product endorsements on my blog. However, after trying this one for dinner last night, I have to share it with you! It tasted just like something from a restaurant and it was super easy to prepare.
The box included everything I needed except for 1 lb. boneless chicken breasts (about 2) and 2 Tbsp cooking oil. The best part? It only took about 20 minutes from start to finish! We complimented it with a big green salad and some garlic bread. Speaking of garlic, I do have to say that this pasta dish was very "garlic-y." I usually don't like strong flavors, but this one was yummy!

There are 3 more varieties in this series: Chicken Alfredo with Linguine, Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken & Pasta, and Chicken Marsala with Linguine. Due to the ease of preparation and the yumminess factor, we will be having one of these each week until we try all of them! You should check them out for yourself too! For those of you in the South, I've already done a store locator search (available on the website) for you. You should be able to find these at Winn Dixie stores. For those not in the South, here's the website link so you can search for yourself: http://www.restaurantfavoritesathome.com/

Oh, I almost forgot...there's a $1.00 coupon on the website! Don't forget to print it out before rushing out to buy one for dinner tonight.

Friday Photos!

Thank you for joining us today for our photo

celebration of Abby's 3rd birthday!

Abby's party theme was

Curious George

"Happy birthday to you..."


The day was filled with yummy cake...


do-it-yourself banana splits...
(I don't know why part of this ^picture^ is cut off)

opening presents...

and LOTS of fun!

After returning to Texas, Abby was

treated to her first Build-A-Bear

experience as a third birthday

surprise from Mommy & Daddy!

Hmmm...so many decisions

"I think I'll choose this one!"

First, we have to stuff the bear...

Then, we place a heart inside so it's

always filled with love...

Next, he gets his first bath...

Finally, we fill out his birth certificate

before we take him home.

Abby wasn't sure why they put

Lovie Bear in a box!

Stay tuned next Friday for Christmas Photos!

Emily's First Winter Guard Competition!

This past Saturday, Emily and her Color Guard squad participated in their first NTCA Winter Guard competition in Keller, TX. All of the girls were very nervous since these competitions are held in close proximity to spectators and judges rather than on those huge football fields where the visitors closely resemble ants. The girls have been practicing this new routine since football season ended and were well prepared for the event. Out of nine schools competing, McKinney Boyd HS Winter Guard placed third with an awesome show for a squad of mostly ninth graders with no experience! Emily's part in the show consisted of rifle work, flag work, and dance movements. She was definitely moving! Check out a few pictures and then view the video by clicking on the PLAY arrow. Make sure your speakers are turned on!

Just call me Slacker

OK...OK...I've officially been called a blog slacker (love ya' anyway, Destiny) so I have to give you all a quick update. Abby and I are working on potty training and it's NOT fun nor is it going very well. Neither one of us has the patience for this stuff!

Abby insists that she doesn't want to wear panties and much prefers diapers.

My knees are complaining about getting up and down from the bathroom floor SEVERAL times each day.

The washer and drying are ready to go on strike from all the laundry I've been doing to keep her cloth training pants clean. (She considers Pull-Ups to be diapers thus no progress when wearing them.)

My carpets are begging me to call Stanley Steamer since cloth training pants do leak. (Yuck!)

Emily is now afraid to come within 5 feet of Abby since "she's WET!" even when she's not.

Ugh...where's life's FAST FORWARD button when you need it?

Shots are no fun!

This morning before breakfast, Abby was examining a pretend syringe from her doll's doctor kit. She held it up to me and asked "What's this, Mommy?"

I said "It's a shot. Sometimes when you aren't feeling well, you go to the doctor and he will give you a shot to make you feel better." Then I showed her how it worked.

She tried it out and was giving it lots of thought. Suddenly she said "I tell the people I not like shots and I jump down and I run away and I come home to you and then I be happy and I not have boo-boos."

Sometimes 3-year-olds are smarter than we think...even when they use run-on sentences!

A Journey in Faith

No one has ever heard me talk about my journey in faith preceeding my recent surgery. It was a walk I made alone with God. One that tested my faith and made me surrender to His mercy.

In the days before my surgery, a threatening thought came to mind. What if I didn't wake up? What if I never saw my family and friends again? How would my girls remember me? I decided that I needed to write a letter to each of them, to Perry, and to Mom. (I would have loved to have written to every single person I knew, but I also knew I wouldn't have time to do that!) I struggled for a couple of days with what to say...how to express my love for them...my hopes and dreams for their future. I prayed for guidance. Then God reminded me of my faith. I had already prayed for His safety during the surgery. Did I not believe that He would do what I asked?
*

Have I not commanded you? Be

strong and of good courage;

do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for

the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

*

I never wrote those letters. Instead, I put all my faith in God to see that those letters were not needed. My God is stronger than death. I did not have to be afraid. As always, God was faithful in His word and to my Savior, I say thank you.

New Year...New Look!

In recognition of the new year, I've given the blog a new look. What do you think? Right now, I'm loving the black, green, and white combination.

Stay tuned for LOTS of pictures! I have Christmas and Abby's birthday pictures to upload and then I'll share them with all of you.