Happy Birthday My Sweet Abby

My sweet Abby.  I can hardly believe that you are already 8 years old!  It seems like just yesterday  you surprised us by coming early, just two days after Christmas!  What a special gift you were.  Until that day, I had no idea that the love I feel for you was even possible.  You're the light of my life.  You have a sweet, quiet disposition that makes everyone want to know you, and yet you are spunky and super intelligent!   How lucky we are to have you as our daughter.

Abby's birthday was two days after Christmas, but I had to share the pictures of her birthday.  It was such special day!  There is nothing Abby loves more than animals and basically any living creature.  She has a special way with animals that is amazing.  For her birthday, Bret and I decided that instead of throwing her a party with all her classmates, we would give her a day doing something really special.  So guess what we spent the morning with....an elephant!  Bret and I along with Abby, Macey and Abby's BFF Kelly got to spend the morning with the elephant keeprs at the EL Paso Zoo.  It was amazing!  I enjoyed it every bit as much as Abby did.  She got to learn all about the different types of elephants, and then she helped the trainer get one of the elephants, Savannah, ready for the day.  Which meant she bathed her, cleaned her feet and ears, and even fed her out of her hand. Savannah's trainer had her do a couple tricks for us.  They were pretty simple, but when she did them all three girls just clapped and giggled.  Savannah obviously liked the attention because the more the girls laughed, the more tricks she did (even when she wasn't suppossed to). For Abby it was a dream come true!  After Savannah was ready for the day, we got to go out into the elephant habitat and explore a little before the elephants were released. ( Let me add that at all times, there were bars between the girls and the elephant.)  We also got to see where the elephants are examined by the veterinarians, learn all about their basic care, and see how all of it is done with an animal so big! Abby told us that from now on all she wants for her birthday is to visit Savannah.

The other elephant Jumbo was there, but she wouldn't get near us.  The zoo bought her from the Ringling Brothers Circus, and she has some terrible trust issues.  Her trainer is the only person she is comfortable being that close to.  I will tell you that I will never take my kids to another circus after seeing that poor animal!!!!!  I saw the scars from her beatings, and the puncture wounds in her ears myself.  The zoo keepers told me some horrible stories of rescued circus animals.

I wasn't allowed to take my camera for obvious reasons, but one of the zoo workers took some pictures for me!  The worst part of it was that she got a picture of everyone except Abby petting the elephant!!!!  I was pretty upset, but I am thankful for the ones that I did get.  Enjoy.

Abby, Kelly and Macey so excited!

You have to scrub the pads of her feet very carefully two times a day.

Soaping Savannah up

Cake time!

Nani and Papa

Uncle Dave and Aunt Lizzy

Aunt Jenny and Macey

Kelly and Abby- BFF

There was only one picture taken of Shelby the entire day.  She wasn't old enough to do the elephant encounter, and Shelby was in a terrible mood that afternoon.  What I didn't realize at the time was that she was in the early stages of her first "real" allergic reaction.  For those of you who don't know, Shelby has a bunch of food allergies, but until then, she had not had a serious reaction.  I feel so bad looking at this photo beacuse her lip was already starting to swell and I didn't even notice!  By the time I did realize what was happening, her cheeks had gotten puffy too.  Thankfully, a trip to the pediatrician was all that was needed. I have been a lot more careful since then though.

Monster Truck Jam

Bret and my dad took the girls to the Monster Truck show this weekend.  They had so much fun!  I was a little sad that I didn't get to be there to see their excitement first hand, but it was so nice to have some time alone at home!!!  I didn't move from the couch the entire time.  When the girls got home, they were all talking at once and could not settle down.  Apparantly, they sat in the winners section (Gravedigger was the winning trucks name).  Nice isn't it?  My dad bought the girls gravedigger hats and cotton candy to bring home.  They were so happy.  What a wonderful dad and grandpa my girls have.

These are the pictures Bret took with his BlackBerry while at the show.

Oh how I love my little silly

Macey is by far my silliest child.  Oh how she makes me laugh. Her teacher has told me so many times that she brings a lot of laughter to the class.  Of course, it wasn't until I substituted in her class that I realized that was a nice way of saying she is the class clown!  Wonder where she got that?  She has a very laid back personality which means that very little bothers her, and she gets along great with everyone.  What a sweetie she is.  Here is a picture of her new look, and a memory I don't want to forget.


Abby  "Look at the picture I made in art class today."

Macey "Oh Abby, that's wonderful.  You are such an artist!" (didn't I tell you she was a sweetie!!!)
            " I am not that great at art, but I really wish I was.  I am going to be an art teacher when I grow up,
              and being an artist would really come in handy."

Macey lost her two top teeth, and she cut about seven inches off her hair all in the same week.

The Grace of God

Yes, I am back...finally!  All you people nagging me can relax now.  :)  This was the last post I typed and then apparantly never posted!  I will share it with you now even though it is a little dated. More to come...


I can't seem to get caught up on my blog.  A month flew by without one single post from me.  I was determined not to let the Christmas season overwhelm me this year like it does so often.  I'm a sucker for getting roped into helping with EVERYTHING, especially when it comes to my girls.  I just can't seem to say no.  This year, my plan was simply to stear clear of anyone who might be asking me to plan a party or bake two dozen cookies for a class.  It's not that I didn't want to help, but I wanted this year to be relaxed.  My goal was to make this Christmas clam, stress free, and more about Jesus (which is really why we celebrate). However, sometimes life just has different plans.

About a month ago, Bret's mom called and needed to go to the ER for what she thought was a bladdar infection.  She did have the infection, but the doctor also discovered a tumor on her kidney which turned out to be cancer.  There went our quiet, stress-free Christmas season.  It was scary, overwhelming, and exhausting.  I hurt for Piage knowing what she must be going through emotionally.  I didn't really know how to help Bret except to be there for his mom as much as I could.  This led to after school care for the girls and a lot of Nani time!  In the middle of all of this, I realized that this was just one example of God's grace for us.  Paige could have gone on for a long time with the cancer and never known it.  It is often times symptom free until it is to late to treat it.  Going into the ER and discovering her cancer the way she did possibly saved her life.  She lost a kidney,  but she is cancer free.  How wonderful it is to know that Jesus is always looking out for us.  That even though we don't deserve it (and none of us do), we still have his grace poured out over us.  So this year, even though I am exhausted, I am also so very thankful that He saved such an important part of our family.  What a great reminder this Christmas of what is really important, and who we should be focusing on!

Daddy's little girl

Many nights, before bed, the girls will end up on the couch looking through magazines that I save for them.  They are usually American Girl Doll, Oriental Trading or things like that.  Shelby's new favorite is Forbes.  Her daddy is so proud and positive that she is a genius!

Shelby's prayer last night

Dear God.  Thank you for all that you have given me.  Thank you for my daily bread.  Thank you for dying on the cross for me.  Thank you for making me SO PRETTY!  Amen.

Watoto African Children's Choir

We had the honor of hosting four members of the Watoto African Children's Choir at our house this weekend. The girls had been sick all week, Bret had been out of town, and I was exhausted.  I almost told the pastor that I just couldn't do it, but I am so glad that I didn't.  It was such a privledge spending time with these children.  They have been through so much in their young lives, more than most of us could even imagine.  The amazing thing to see is their constant joy.  You have never met more polite, respectful, and happy children.  I think that because they have seen the worst this world holds, they appreciate what God has done for them even more.  We had two 11 year old girls, one 13 year old, and their amazing leader Mariah.  The girls were so excited to have beds to sleep on and books to read!  None of us were ready for them to leave when it was time!  The girls all hugged a million times, and Shelby announced that she was going back to Africa with them.

 I wondered what my girls would take from seeing the choir perform, hearing their stories, and then meeting them face to face.  My first impluse was to hide the truth from them.  I didn't want them to hear how these kids parents were murdered or died of aids.  The pictures of babies abandon on the streets were hard for the adults to see, but I felt God urging me use this as an opportunity to gently open my girls eyes.  How can a child appreciate what they have been blessed with if they don't truly know how blessed they are?  All the girls learned a little I hope.  Abby, more than the other two, was really touched by all that she heard.  Probably because she is older and able to grasp it a little more.  I have seen a difference in her attitude in just two days.  The girls weren't the only ones who learned something.  Bret and I were both humbled and touched by these kids (at least I know I was!).  The best part of hosting was how much fun the six little girls had together.  They bonded quickly, and they had  a great time playing the Wii, baby dolls, and kitchen.  I guess all little girls are the same.

If you want to learn more about the Watoto Children's Villages you can click here.  They do a lot to help the orphans of Uganda.

Abby, Macey, Shelby with Mary, Imelda, Mariah, and Josephine

Macey loved Mariah.

There were lots of giggles and screaming while they played the Wii.

Bret helping Imelda finish a hard game.

Playing baby dolls.