Reason to Rejoice

I know, I haven't posted since Tuesday and I am WAY behind on posts from our trip... Sorry! Rachel is sick...it's been a long couple of days. The tube in her left ear has fallen out and almost immediately (or so it seems), she has another ear infection. This is the first one in nearly 2 years!!! It's so frustrating! Dr. Hull said that we might have to go back and visit the ENT doc again if she keeps having them....talk about reinserting the tube..... I promise I will catch up but I can't promise when. I am working tomorrow, then Truck or Treat at church, then church Sunday then I work every.single.day.next.week!!!! Yes, you read that right...this stay at home mommy is not going to be staying at home for the next couple of weeks! More about that later....OH, and YES, as a matter of fact, it will be Lauren's first time at daycare...and YES, I AM a nervous wreck!!!! Thanks for asking!

I have a friend who does not like EPCOT! Can you believe that? Actually, I can. Let me just tell you that it isn't necessarily my favorite place to go but it certainly doesn't fall into my category of things I don't like. Parts of it are/can be very educational and some other parts are just fun...again, some parts are boring, but to me, most educational things are boring, so....ANYWAY....I really enjoy the Future World parts better than the World Showcase. So, Monday, we went to EPCOT all day. We stayed until just after dark and didn't see Illuminations (the fireworks show, which I LOVE...it's my favorite show in all the parks) but my kids just weren't lasting that long. I think that Lauren turns into a pumpkin, around, oh....7:30-8:00! We did a lot of Future World the night before, so this day we focused on World Showcase. They have a neat little station in each country called Kidcot. It is a place where kids can go and get stamps from each country, color thei

We arrived in Orlando on Saturday and then just stayed in our condo that night and watched Arkansas almost beat Florida....too bad almost doesn't count in football! But, it was a good game. Rachel on the airplane.... Sunday morning, we got up early and went to Magic Kingdom for breakfast with the Pooh characters at Crystal Palace. Rachel wasn't too sure about the characters at first but then she warmed up to them. When they first tried to come up to her, she was literally shaking with fear. It was FREEZING outside...okay, not literally but it was very cold...especially for Florida...I had to buy a sweatshirt. We spent most of that day at Magic Kingdom but ended the day at EPCOT. We had a great day. I could not believe the weather was so nice...after the initial time of being really cold in the morning. We had reservations at Coral Reef restaurant for a LATE lunch (almost dinner time) and Rachel liked eating where she could see the fish swimming around in the aquarium. I

I am going to try and do each day of our Disney trip as a separate post. I was thinking of ways to cut down on the overload of pictures. As my husband would say...I like pictures of my family WAY MORE than others do!! He jokes that sometimes we have to pay people to take pictures of girls because we give them out so frequently!! =) So, look for posts from each of our days from this past week. There were fun memories that were made. The girls did great!

Welp, we have been in Florida for the past week at DISNEY WORLD!!!! We had a blast. We are tired. We are adjusting to the time difference and lack of sleep. We have church in the morning and a full week ahead of us. We (I) have some pretty important, big, decisions to make in the near future. Stay tuned...all of that, and tons of pictures to come!!!

I love these DVDs!!! We also have the CDs which are just the music version that NEVER stop playing in the baby's room. A sweet friend, Cynthia, gave me our very first Praise Baby CD when I was in the hospital after having Rachel. Rachel was in the NICU and we had only lived in the city where we are now for less than a year. I was so excited that she came to see us! She was the preschool director at church at the time but I think she would have come anyway! =) It was such a treat. I would sit in the nursery after Rachel was born and rock her and cry...literally LIKE A BABY!! I mean, I would sob! I had some emotional issues after Rachel was born. She and I were both pretty sick after she was born and I think that didn't help. I cried for about 4 months after she was born. Luckily, that didn't happen the 2nd time around. Anyway, that Praise Baby CD was what I would listen to and just couldn't fathom how much He loved me...enough to give me this precious gift.

I love my girls. I know that everyone knows that but will they always know? I sure hope so. I can't believe how big they are...both of them. Rachel is getting incredibly independent and as much as I think this is great, that means that she is growing up and that makes my heart a little bit sad. I know they can't stay little forever and that is bittersweet. I love babies...little itty bitty babies. LOVE THEM! That is my favorite stage. I love newborns. Not necessarily the lack of sleep but some of the most precious times are spent in the middle of the night during those feedings that you are barely awake for. I just love it! That's why I will likely have at least one more baby. I can't get enough of that sweetness!! =) I heard this song a long time ago and I love it. It is so sweet! I heard it again today and was reminded about how sweet my babies are. The lyrics are just precious. I have it one of the girls' CDs and it plays in their rooms on occas

LOVE Now that it's cooler, I have drank about a dozen Cinnamon Dolce Lattes from Starbucks!!! My dad introduced them to me and I am in love!!! I have to be careful when I drink them because of nursing Lauren...I don't want her to be up all night long. The hard part is that I usually get them when I am grocery shopping since there is a Starbucks located in our grocery store and I usually do my grocery shopping at night. I only get them if Lauren is already in bed for the night or if I have fed her for the last time! I am not crazy about coffee but I love cappuccino and flavored creamers and, you know...all that "girly" stuff!!! I also like this one flavor that we have at work. It is white chocolate carmel cappuccino and I think it's great. Only problem...it burns my tongue EVERY. TIME. I. DRINK. IT!!!! Never fails! That stuff out of those machines is hot! I have heard lots of good things about the Pumpkin Spice, something or other at Starbucks that I migh

So, you already know that I LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL!! I LOVE the Razorbacks!!!! So...tomorrow...big game. I don't think we will ever win but I am hoping that we can hold our own. That would make me happy! The deal is that NO ONE is supposed to beat the #1 team...that's why they are #1, right. Well, how awesome would it be if we could beat the #1 team??? Pretty. Stinkin. Awesome! SO.... GO HOGS BEAT THE FLORIDA GATORS!!!!!!!!

October is a month for awareness. Most people know it as the month to remember breast cancer survivors which I feel is EXTREMELY important. But it is also domestic violence awareness month (I will recognize this later on this month) which I have been personally affected by and it is also National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. October 15th is the day specifically set aside to remember.... Today is a day to remember. God's perfect creation. Babies. Babies that, for whatever reason, were not meant to live on the earth for a long time. It's sad. It's unpleasant. It's devastating. It's hard to understand. It's real. Very real. I have so many....TOO many friends that have lost babies and as I have posted on here before...it BREAKS MY HEART!!!! I can't think about it for long because it seriously has a huge impact on me. I have a hard time. It is SO not all about me...I guess my point is that as hard as it is for me to think about the p

"God calls us to obedience to the 'what' not the 'how.' We are not responsible for how this 'thing' plays out! God appoints or allows circumstances (often crises) in our lives to redirect our paths. This is referred to as the concept of The Reversal of Destiny. The Bible is FULL OF THEM!!! Let us live a life that says "THAT HAS TO BE A GOD THING!" God can take my mourning and grieving and turn it into dancing!! **This all came from this morning's Bible study. Have I told you how much I love this study???!! It is amazing. AMAZING!! I am learning WAY more about myself than I ever thought possible. We all have a story to tell and if we think about it, there probably is a "Reversal of Destiny" present somewhere in our story that makes our story worth telling. God give me the strength, wisdom, and grace to tell my story...when the time is right! ULTIMATE REVERSAL OF DESTINY: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for u

She's a sweetheart!!! She has two teeth - front, bottom She is sitting up for really long periods of time She LOVES LOVES LOVES her big sister She is extremely interested in the dog She loves blowing raspberries She is eating 2nd foods, one jar in the morning and one jar at night She is only nursing 4 times a day She has heard the word "no" and DID NOT like it! She is a "Mommy's Girl" She is both long and round! =) She is such a cuddle bug..something Rachel NEVER was and I LOVE IT! She is precious to me and I love her more than life itself!!! She's my baby girl

I cannot believe it has been 10 years since I have graduated from high school!! I know some of you that are reading this are saying, "Just wait till it's 20, 30, etc..." I am/was feeling old...still am but I have never been happier in my entire life so I guess I am liking "old." =) We made a quick trip to Hope High School in Hope, Arkansas this weekend for my 10 year high school reunion! I think I have posted previously regarding this reunion and how, as senior class co-president, it was mine and my friend Christy's responsibility to organize the reunions. When I was a senior that sounded so cool to me....after doing it, it sounds so NOT cool to me!! =) Seriously, it was one of the most stressful, time-consuming, and difficult things that I have ever done! But, let me say...IT WAS WORTH IT!!! We had a blast!! There weren't many there (there was LOTS of drama leading up to it that I would rather not discuss) but those that came I believe had a g

We all have things we love at certain times in our lives. What are mine right now? Well, of course.... AND (Yes, I know these are not new....I ashamedly have not taken any pictures of my girls recently) And I also love this guy.... (Couldn't find any pictures of him by himself...I guess I should say that I love me too, but I was meaning to just say I ♥ HIM!!!) I have tons of other family and friends that I love as well, but one other thing I want to mention right now is....this....I LOVE LOVE LOVE this.... This has been THE BEST Bible study I have ever done!! I have done several of Beth Moore's studies but this one has been my favorite!! This past week was hard...very hard for me. I have realized a lot of things about myself...hard things that I need to work on and address...strongholds and weaknesses. It's a good thing but working through shortcomings within yourself is not pretty sometimes. This study is great and if you haven't done it, I encourage you to find

So we have had this ongoing battle with Rachel concerning sleep! I fear that she is phasing out a nap and I am not okay with that!!! She has always been a great sleeper (both of my kids are, PRAISE THE LORD)!! She has not been sleeping at all at "school" and when she comes home she doesn't want to nap either and usually it is so late that I have to decide whether or not it makes sense because then the result is that she will sleep until 5:30 and then want to stay up late....what to do??? The jury is still out....

I received this in an email earlier today. Apparently, some lots of Children's and Infant's Tylenol suspensions have been recalled due to some contamination of bacteria in an inactive ingredient. I know the process of figuring out if your Tylenol has been affected might be time consuming and I am not sure how important it is but since it has been recalled, I will be paying attention. Hope you find this helpful! Children’s and Infants’ Tylenol RECALL DATE: September 24, 2009 COMPANY/BRAND: McNeil Consumer Healthcare THE HAZARD: An inactive ingredient may have been contaminated with bacteria. DESCRIPTION: The recall includes the following lots of Children’s and Infants’ Tylenol liquid products manufactured between April, 2008 and June, 2008: • SBM041, SBM067, SCM037, SDM027, SEM109: Children's Tylenol Plus Cold MS Suspension 4 oz. Grape • SBM042, SCM015, SCM036, SDM034: Children's Tylenol Suspension 4oz. Grape • SBM043, SBM044, SCM029: Children's Tylenol Suspension

Well, the weekend, as always, went by super fast. I didn't take any pictures of my kids. This next week will be busy getting ready for my reunion. It is almost here and I can't wait for it to be over! I am hating the Cowboys right about now! They sucked today....Tony Romo sucked today...something that happens way too often for me! STUPID STUPID STUPID! I can't say "sucked" and "stupid" in my house so I have to use such "profanities" on my blog! =) But... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PIGGGG!!!!!!!! AHHH!!! I am so excited that we smoked A&M so bad! I LOVE IT!!!

Today on Kelly's blog she is featuring "must haves" and "could do withouts" as far as baby gear/stuff is concerned!! I am SOOO glad she is doing this for those that are expecting or hope to have a baby someday because it would have been really helpful for me when I was first having babies. Things do change and there are so many things that they have now that they didn't have when I had my first....but, I hope to offer some helpful suggestions. As Kelly posted on her site, what works for us, may not necessarily work for you because babies are different but here are some suggestions! MUST HAVES! TRAVEL SYSTEM Against so many people's advice, we bought the Graco Snug Ride infant car seat with travel system (stroller included). It was the Laura Ashley design one....deep purples and grays (we thought it might work with a boy too but I am not sure now....anyway...WE LOVE(D) IT!!! We bought it when I was pregnant with Rachel and used it with her and now w