FINALLY SPRING BREAK!!!

I think this is the most excited I have ever been about Spring Break! Spring Break=less responsibility!!! A has no classes (I am sure he has plenty to catch up on but no classes to attend). I don't have to teach. Ell doesn't have to learn. The other girls get a little more of mama and daddy. You would think since we stay home it would not be that big of a deal-wrong. We are so excited about not having to be on a schedule and have all day to do whatever. Elleigh finished up the sections she was on Thursday so we actually started spring break a little early on Friday. We went to the Centennial Celebration at the Seminary and we all had a great time. A had worked lots of long hours so we were glad to get to see him. I got to see lots of people that I had not seen in a while and A watched the girls some for me to have adult conversations!

I love this picture! You can't see the cake but the girls were the first in line! Look at Sallie's face as she sees the cake and notice Elleigh holding her back so that she doesn't dive in!Lizzie enjoying her cake! They were very glad the Seminary had a birthday!

Millie says, "I want my bed!"

The Memorial Building is so beautiful.
Fireworks to end the night! They were really pretty!

Waiting?

This is part of an on-line daily devotion I receive for homeschool parents. It really hit home with me so I thought I would share. I think we have become a very anxious society and have to be reminded that we really are not in control. Waiting does teach us so much even thought it is not fun.

Waiting is not something any of us do well in today's world. In our fast-paced lives, we expect immediate responses to our daily needs. Fast food, fast lanes, and fast everything makes us a nation of impatient people. Unfortunately, we carry that same philosophy over to our spiritual lives, and we want fast answers from God, too. However, God is in control, and He has His own timetable. As agonizing as it may seem, waiting is actually beneficial to us spiritually because it forces us to focus on God instead of our request.Have you been waiting for a long time for God to answer one of your prayers? Maybe you have a family member who doesn't know Christ as Savior or you have a financial burden or physical illness that seems overwhelming. The Lord may want you to focus your attention completely on Him so He can reveal His power to you at just the right time. Will you let Christ redirect your thoughts so He becomes the center of your focus while you wait? "My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning." (Psalms 130:6)

CastLESS!

Elleigh got her cast off yesterday!!! She is very excited to have it off. It is hurting her a good bit which we expected. It should feel better once she moves it around some. The Dr said if she has full range of motion in a month there is no need for her to come back, otherwise she will have to have therapy. They told her she could start back with low impact sports in 6 months. She is not too happy about that part! Praise the Lord for Elleigh's recovery!

Lizzie's not so 18 months photos

I try really hard to get good pictures of all the girls at certain ages which was much easier when there were fewer of them (girls that is!). So, I am catching up. I did not get any of Lizzie at 18 months so here she is at 19 1/2 months. My friend Rebecca gave me this dress and my first thought when I saw it was that is SO Lizzie so I had to take her picture in it. Thanks Rebecca! Photography is one of my favorite hobbies so I love to experiment with the girls. They however do not always love for me to use them! I would love to one day do more photography but for now I just practice on the girls. The best word to describe Lizzie right now is busy so I got lots of action shots. You would be amazed at how many shots I have of her running away but that's OK because that is what she does right now. I took her up to the Seminary and just let her run and I chased and got what I could then I had a fun afternoon of playing with the pictures I took while A played with the girls! I posted lots but I couldn't resist. They really are a lot better before I download them into here but... Next on the agenda, Millie's 6 month pics now that she is 7 months! ENJOY!

Once again-Only in Texas

Texas weather is the craziest! We had light snow on Monday, back to Spring by Wednesday and yesterday SNOW again. It was very exciting! The flakes were so big and beautiful. There was some sleet mixed in with what was on the ground which made it slushy rather than fluffy but it was fun. Lizzie was not impressed though! She loves to be outside but she did not want any part of the snow. Aaron would try and give her some and she would run. Funny! Enjoy the pics!

Can't take my eyes off you!

I am always telling Aaron that I just can't take my eyes off the girls because they will get into something and here's the proof:

"Oops, we got caught""Look at us!"Doodle Bear needs some!So, at this point I am thinking what is that??? Then, I see the culprit-icing coloring!I could not help but laugh when I saw this face!The GREEN monsters!

At some point, they got my icing tint out of the cabinet (a top cabinet I might add) and while playing in the playroom had way too much fun! I walked in the playroom and I was not too happy until they looked at me and both were grinning from ear to ear and I could not help but laugh. It was an ordeal to get them to the bath without getting it everywhere and it did not help that I was trying to take pictures of it all! I couldn't resist. I know these will be the days I remember most! There were little footprints of it everywhere (so glad we have hardwood floors). Oh and that stuff is sticky!!! They are still a little green! Those girls will get into ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!

Only in Texas!

We had a beautiful weekend of nearly 80 degree temps and then on Monday night... SNOW! You couldn't see it that well in the pictures we took because it was night but I thought this one was good with Elleigh all bundled up because this weekend she was in shorts! We had just a little accumulation on the grass but it was enough for Elleigh to think she had to be out in it. The other girls were already in bed. We so wanted to wake up to a winter wonderland this morning but no luck!

HELP!

Mama and Daddy are feeding me carrots and I am not impressed!

Yes, it is all over her which is why she is undressed!

Another update

Yes, another medical update! Such fun! I counted yesterday and we have had 16 doctor visits since mid January! 2 of those were ER visits. The girls have to go to the dentist soon but I decided to wait a month to schedule and hopefully we will not be spending all our time at the doctor. I got my results back and the tests for connective tissue diseases came back normal. I am thankful, yet ready for some kind of answers. What next? The Dr now wants me to move on to nerve studies to try and identify the problem. I have not felt well at all over the past few days. Saturday I was really sick. I felt just like I did when this all first started (8 weeks ago). My head feels really strange and I felt like I was going to pass out, etc. So, thankfully it was Saturday and A was home and I spent lots of time in bed. I feel some better today but not a lot. I know that God is in control and His timing is not my timing and I am constantly trying to remind myself of that. However, I have to be real and say that I am very frustrated right now. I think it is a lot easier to be positive and hopeful when you feel better physically but it is so frustrating to have a family to care for and feel this way and then to not have a clue what is wrong with me or what will happen next. I do know where my hope is and that will get me through as always! There have been so many times in the past when we would be dealing some type of trial and I would be down and out about it and A will always say you can do this-you are a strong woman and my response would be "I am tired of being strong". I think that is how I feel right now-tired of being strong. I know this is a not a very uplifting post but I think it is important for us to be real and I think we all feel this way sometimes. The key is we can't remain in that slump, we have to rely on God to bring us out and we have to focus on the hope we have in Him. So many of you have been so sweet to tell me that you are impressed at how I handle everything and the outlook I have when things are not going so well, so I think I owe it to you to let you know I don't always have it "together". Satan really does get us when we're down! I feel so much better since I got all that out and gave myself a pep talk! Thanks for allowing me to do that! Please continue to pray. I probably will not post again on me and whatever is wrong with me until we know something, unless there is some significant change.

Psalm 103: 2-5 “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

JUST FOR NANNA!