The Johnson Family

Big Sunday at WPCC!

2011-10-22T21:15:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday was a big day at Woodlands Point! It was the Sunday that we finally officially appointed elders to our church.

Way back when we first started this whole thing (come to think of it, it was 4 years ago this fall that we started talking, praying dreaming about planting a church, and look how far we've come!) one of the pieces of advice that Jason received from a friend and mentor who had been in our shoes and planted a church was to wait on appointing elders; basically, don't rush into it too soon.

Since we absolutely believe in an elder-led church, and we don't believe in Jason alone running the church and having all the power, we have had a leadership team made up of several different godly men throughout the almost 3 1/2 years of our church. They began meeting weekly, this week was the week where we appointed 3 elders to our church, Jason being one of the 3.

I told Jason afterwards that I didn't realize I was going to need kleenex! I really could not stop crying. It was simply amazing to me to see those 3 men up there, men who love the Lord, who are faithful to their wives, who are gentle and not violent, men who lead their families well, etc. Men who live out 1 Timothy 3. I was overwhelmed with God's faithfulness and goodness to us, so thankful for what He's done in the short life of our church, and thankful for these men that we trust will lead our church well. These men have become dear friends, family to us, mentors to Jason, and leaders of our church. I am thankful.

While watching Jason I couldn't stop thinking about how I am so thankful for him and for how much he loves first the Lord and then me and our girls. Every Sunday I love to see Jason do what he does, do what God has gifted him to do and what he is passionate about. He has an incredible gift of teaching God's word and shepherding people. I couldn't ask for a better husband for me to lead our family. God's blessings on our lives are innumerable. He is so good.

I look forward to many years at our church watching God's word being taught, the Holy Spirit changing hearts, and for Him to be glorified in it all. It is why we are here!

Presley is 4!

2011-10-16T22:28:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that our sweet middle girl is already four. These days are flying by way too fast and I want to freeze time!

Presley is such a precious little thing. She is pretty much very laid back about things. She likes to wear dresses and skirts pretty much all the time. She is a priss for sure. She loves her sisters so much and loves being with them. She can sit at the craft table in our living room and color for hours. And if we are coloring with her that's even better. One of her other favorite things to do is go to the Y. I'm not sure why she loves it so much but she asks to go just about every day.

She loves all things Tangled and Ariel. She also loves candy. It's not unusual for her to sneak candy and hide in a dark closet or behind a bed and eat it. We'll find wrappers there as evidence. It's really the funniest thing. What can I say, she is my child and loves candy! She would watch Max and Ruby or Scooby Doo all day long if we let her. Come to think of it, I think a perfect day for her might be coloring with Rapunzel and Ariel and watching those cartoons while eating candy. Let's throw in a trip to the Y and a pbj and she's set!

She also loves saying the most recent Bible verse we've been working on, and it is music to my hears. She'll walk around the house saying, "I can do all things through Christ! Phillippians 4:13." It really couldn't be cuter.

The weekend of her birthday Jason's parents and siblings were in town so we got to see them and our little nephew. We celebrated with a trip to Chuy's for lunch. Nothing beats a big bowl of queso and tortillas for a perfect birthday lunch!

She loved all of her gifts! I love this picture of her.

We all went to the mall for a carousel ride.

And she had a Tangled party with her friends

and loved her Tangled cake!

Sweet birthday girl!

When it came to celebrating her birthday at school she did NOT want me to be there. She asked if I'd just leave the cupcakes in the morning and not come back for the celebration. Well, okay! Very different from Masie, that's for sure!

Presley had a fabulous 4th birthday! I love her to pieces and am so thankful for the joy she adds to our life!

I can't believe she's SIX!!!

2011-09-14T23:26:00.004-05:00

Today our sweet Masie turned SIX! I seriously can't believe that our first baby girl is now six and in kindergarten. She is growing up way too fast! It seems like yesterday when we were holding a sweet little bundle of her in the hospital. She has turned into a beautiful, sweet, caring little girl. She loves her sisters, loves to read, loves crafts, loves The Brady Bunch and Full House and loves to wear new clothes with tags on them. I hope she gets over that quickly! It doesn't happen often enough for her. I love all of who she is and can't wait to see who she becomes. She is a treasure to us!

Jason and I had lunch with her at school today.

She requested a Burger King kids' meal. Totally weird.

She had fun grossing us out with her wiggly tooth.

Later after lunch I went back up to the school and served cupcakes to her class. She was so excited. It was so cute to see her in class with her little friends. They all sang happy birthday to her and they each gave her a birthday wish.

For dinner she wanted to go to Main Event

so we did a little bowling.

Birthday girl!

Our sweet little Rapunzel.

I love this one of Darby squatting.

She was obsessed with the shoes. Of course!

Afterwards we went to Gigi's for some cupcakes.

It's really hard to get a good picture of all 3 of them smiling!

When we went home she got her bike from Mimi and Papa. She loves it!

I'm hoping we'll be biking to and from school when the weather is nicer.

Masie had a FABULOUS day! And the fun is not over yet. Friday night there will be way too many little girls over here for a slumber party and she is thrilled beyond belief. Can't wait for that!

First Day of Preschool!

2011-09-04T20:00:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday I took Masie to school. I ended up walking her inside and watched her sit down at her desk. Then I snuck outside in the hallway and secretly watched her for a few minutes as she looked through her binder and chatted with her friends. It was so sweet. I got a little teary-eyed as I walked out thinking about how much she was growing up.

By the time I pulled in our driveway 2 minutes later I was full on crying. I walked in the house and sat down on Jason's lap and sobbed, "I'm going to run errands all day and I'm not taking the diaper bag with me!"

In other words, I wouldn't be taking any girls with me either. That's because that day was the first day of preschool for Presley and Darby, so I was without kids for 5 hours. And it made me a little emotional. It was my first day to have all 3 girls in school. My first of every Wednesday with no kids with me. I was happy for them to go and be with friends and learn, but still a little sad that I would be all alone all day. Here's a few pictures of that morning.

The girls always get flowers on their first day of school.

Darby didn't want to put hers down.

Silly smile!

Another silly one!

And another! Scrunchy face!

Pretty Presley

Walking in to school.

Waiting for the doors to open!

Not sure about Presley's pose...?

I love little kids and their big backpacks!

We must get our chapstick on before going to class!

Darby walked right on into class without looking back. She was so excited to go. I don't think she really even noticed that we left her. I love her teachers and am excited for her to be in school this year. And I just found out that one of her teachers has been coming to our church for about a month and is in a community group. I love that!

Presley was a little shy going into class but she loved it. She has one of Masie's teachers from a few years ago and I couldn't be more excited about it. We love her and I'm so excited she'll get to teach Presley, too. Presley's little bff's Jaycie and Branson (her boyfriend!) aren't at school this year, and one of the first things Presley said on our ride home was, "Mommy, why weren't Jaycie and Branson at school today?" I had to break the news to her that they wouldn't be at her school this year and she was devastated. But then I reminded her that we would see them at church and community group and birthday parties and play dates and at all sorts of other things, and that made her feel so much better. Poor girl, I guess I should have prepared her that they wouldn't be there. Oops!

So my day consisted of way too many errands and a lunch date with my favorite guy. And while it was nice to run all of my errands without lugging a 25+ lb. child on my hips, dealing with whining, hassling with strollers or buckling any kids up in the car in the 106 degree heat, it did feel weird being out for so long by myself. From now on Wednesdays will be my days to get things done!

Presley will be going to school 2 days a week, and for now Darby will just be going one. However, I have a feeling that when I start dropping Presley off on Mondays and taking Darby home with me that she will throw a fit and want to stay there, too. We'll see how that works out!

So when I went to pick the kids up this is what I found:

I never in a million years thought she would have fallen asleep on the floor. But she did and they said she was so sweet and was such a great helper. I'm so glad the girls had such a great first day of school!

Kindergarten!?!

2011-08-22T21:52:00.004-05:00

Today was Masie's first day of kindergarten.

To say she was excited would be an understatement.

This girl couldn't wait to get to school.

She was excited to sit at her own desk,

meet new friends,

eat lunch at school,

and see her new teacher.

Although she may have been more than ready,

I wasn't ready to see her go.

But I KNEW she would have a fabulous day!

And she did! She loved every second of it. I'm so thankful that I was able to hold it together until we left the classroom, and then when we got to the car I cried like a baby. I've been praying so much for this coming year for her, and I prayed so much for her today. I had a heavy heart knowing that from now on, until she leaves for college and is gone for good, she will spend so much of her days away from me! This is a big adjustment from her preschool 2 days a week, but she's ready.

The car rider line was a lot of fun. I spent 50 minutes in the car waiting to pick her up. I had so much fun trying to keep Presley awake as she was drifting off to sleep, and I was very unsuccessful at that! And add to that the air conditioning that doesn't seem to blow very cold air when you're sitting idle for so long. My back was sweaty! Thankfully Darby was nice and quiet in her car seat the whole time. I know it could have been much worse. I'm looking forward to the days when it's not 103 outside so we can walk to pick her up. Hopefully soon!

All in all it was a great day, and she's ready to do it again tomorrow!

Masie!

2011-08-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Masie! I wish she would stop growing up! She's had a fun summer of tumbling classes, cheer camp and art camp. Oh and we threw a few swim lessons in there also, along with all the girls taking trips to our parents' houses. This summer was a little crazier than I expected but it was fun! And now we are all ready for regular schedules.

She is a goofy girl!

Oh my word, I could freeze time right there.

I love that sweet girl so much.

She's starting tennis lessons soon. Jason is thrilled that she is playing and they went to pick out a tennis racket together the other night. Tomorrow morning they're going to practice before we all head to the pool. I really hope she likes it and doesn't dread her classes that are coming up!

Masie decided she wanted a hair cut so

we chopped it off. Here she is before.

During.

After! When dried with a round brush.

I can assure you that I will not be doing that.

And another after. She looks so cute!

And here she is at her new desk for kindergarten.

I really can't believe that she is starting kindergarten in 4 days! I'm pretty sure I will cry like a baby on her first day. But maybe that's because I've already done that a few times this summer when I think about it. I am happy that I made it through the meet the teacher night without a single tear. And we love her new teacher! We have several mutual friends so I have met her before and am thrilled she will be teaching Masie. And Masie will be sitting right across from the daughter of a girl I went to school with. I haven't seen her since we graduated 13 years ago (Yikes! We are old!) so that was a fun surprise. I hope they will be friends!

She is so ready to go to school. She is reading and adding and subtracting. Jason and I can't really spell much anymore when we don't want them to know what we're talking about because she always guesses what we're saying.

She is the sweetest girl and loves to take care of her little sisters. She is silly and beautiful and helpful and so much fun to be with. However, if she can't find anything to wear in her closet then stay out of her way! She will be a bear. I hope that in a few years we can look back on that and laugh, because it sure isn't funny right now!

I love her to pieces and will miss her terribly when school starts!

Presley!

2011-08-20T21:00:00.002-05:00

Presley! She is our 3-year-old little cuddler. Any chance she gets she will hug all over us and curl up in our lap. I love every second of it. If she's not doing that then she's probably coloring, which is her favorite thing to do.

This summer I took her to Sweet and Sassy to get her nails done.

She loved it!

Oh my word, her hair is so long. It is so beautiful, but it really

needs a cut or at least a trim.

When it's straight it's down to her hiney. Masie has convinced her to cut it to her shoulders, but every time we talk about doing it she says she'll do it tomorrow or next week, so I'm not sure she wants to do it. If she does then we'll donate it to Locks of Love. I think it would be so cute but I think she would miss it. She always says her hair is like Marcia's or Rapunzel's. We're really into The Brady Bunch and Tangled right now.

She is very dramatic about dinner. When I make

something she doesn't like we often see this face, which is often!

And then much whining ensues.

Sweet little girl!

Another pose!

She's been taking swim lessons this summer and is doing great!

Today she jumped off the diving board for the first time and LOVED it. She did it about 37 times in a row. She was the smallest jumper and was so cute and little in that line.

I love her so much and that sweet little voice that sings at the top of her lungs when she thinks no one can hear. I wish she would stay 3 forever!!

Darby!

2011-08-18T22:18:00.007-05:00

Oh, our little Darby. She is the biggest ham and the cutest little thing!

She is always making us laugh with her silly faces.

She loves to read! She will sit for the longest

time in that cute little rocker and read her little tiny books.

She especially loves ones with puppies in them.

And she'll make more silly faces.

And more!

And she loves her blueberries!

She loves to gives hugs and kisses, and her little run is the cutest thing. She still isn't talking all that much, but she's learning new words every day. Her new one today was Ariel as she pointed to our many Ariel things.

Although her words may be few she sure does know what we are saying! The other day she locked herself in her room. For about 7 minutes I was trying to unlock it while she was on the other side saying, "Mamma! Mamma!" She cried a few times, but thankfully she never really got upset. I had called Jason, not knowing what to do, and since I couldn't get it opened he left the office to come home and help me. Right as we hung up the phone I said through the door, "Darby, can you unlock it? Can you unlock the door for me?" And sure enough, she unlocked it just like that and the door opened up! (And as I was trying to call Jason back to tell him not to come home he walked through the door. I love having his office right down the street!) Anyway, she sure is a smart little girl!

This summer she hasn't really liked the pool all that much. Masie and Presley would always jump right in the pool, but it took Darby MANY trips to the pool to even get in without screaming, or to even stand in the water with her feet getting wet. Hopefully our trip to the pool tomorrow will be a successful one!

She definitely keeps our life fun and interesting, and we couldn't imagine our life without this strong-willed, silly-faced, happy beautiful girl. We love her to pieces!

Summertime Fun!

2011-08-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

So now that summer is almost over and I haven't blogged much I thought I'd update with a few pictures of the girls and what we've done!

Every morning when Jason leaves for work we run to the front

window and wave, blow kisses, and say "I love you" to him.

It's become a fun tradition.

Sweet sisters. They definitely have their moments of arguing

but they love each other so much! They're still sharing a room and it's going well, although Masie does think that she should have her own room since she's going to kindergarten. :)

A rare photo of me on here. I love my girls!

Masie reading a puppy book to Darby,

who LOVES puppies. She is obsessed.

Lots of crafts and coloring were done at this table this summer.

Bowling! We had so much fun bowling. When we were done and

had to take the shoes off, Darby kicked, screamed, and hit me because she was so

mad that I was taking her shoes away. I was trying so hard not to laugh at how

funny it was. She loves her shoes for sure! I love this picture.

At the pool!

We've had such a fun summer of swimming, cheer camp, tumbling, crafts, art camp, playing with friends, visiting grandparents, sleepovers, doing nothing, and I'm sure tons more that I can't think of right now. A few more day of summer and then school starts!

Just So I Don't Forget

2011-07-14T15:42:00.001-05:00

I overheard this the other day when the girls didn't know I could hear them, and it melted my heart.

Presley: I love you Masie!

Masie: I love you, too!

Presley: I love you so much.

Masie: I love you more than you think.

Presley: I love you more!

Masie: I love you more!

These girls sure do love each other more than words could express. Yes, they do have their moments of bickering, but much more than that they have times of fun and laughter and love. I have prayed for a deep loving friendship for all our girls since before they were born, and I love watching it grow every day!

Last Day of School!

2011-05-18T22:50:00.008-05:00

I seriously can't believe that our school year is over! It seems like just yesterday they started school.

Here they are the first day.

And today!

Wow, they have grown up SO much this year!!! They need so STOP it!

The girls had a water day at school today, so of course we stop by to enjoy the fun and take some pictures. Darby missed her nap to go watch Presley and and she did so great. I just stuck her in the stroller with some milk and goldfish and she was good to go.

Such a cutie! I love this picture.

Darby joined in on the snow cone fun!

I think the girls had a fun day!

Next time we go to school we'll be headed to kindergarten. Bring out the Kleenex!

Graduation!

2011-05-16T20:07:00.007-05:00

Today Masie graduated from preschool. I seriously can't believe she will be in kindergarten next year. I am in denial. Maybe I will change my mind and keep her at home with me so she won't grow up.

She was thrilled to get flowers and that Minnie Mouse graduate doll. We saw that at a store last week and she kept saying, "Mommy, remember that Minnie Mouse we saw? Wouldn't it be really neat if I got one when I graduated?" Um, hint much?

We are so proud of her. The teachers said something about each of the kids when they went to get their diploma. They said that Masie is as beautiful inside as she is on the outside. And I have to agree. She is precious.

Masie and Lexie

Masie and Madison

I am so thankful that all of her grandparents were able to be here for her special day. My parents drove in from CS and Jason's parents made a quick trip from Dallas. Afterward we went out to get some ice cream to celebrate her big day!

I could not be more happy with her teachers and this whole past year at school. She has learned so much. She is reading like a champ and adding so well. She has learned so many Bible stories, made so many fun crafts, and made so many wonderful friends. It has been a year to remember!

Well, Masie has talked about this day non-stop for the past month. I'm pretty sure all we'll hear from this point on is about her first day of kindergarten! I hope it does not disappoint!

*Oh, and I have to add that as soon as I saw her walking down that aisle in her cap and gown the tears began. I immediately grabbed my tissue. However, I am glad to say that it didn't last long and the tears stopped after just a few minutes!

Tea With My Favorite 5-Year-Old

2011-05-16T19:56:00.002-05:00

Last week we had a Mother's Day Tea with Masie's pre-k class. She was thrilled to give me the cup she made for me. On the menu: Capri Suns and too many cookies.

I love this little girl too much--she is way too precious!

Catching Up... Again!

2011-05-04T21:35:00.006-05:00

So really, I have no idea how it's been more than a month since I've last blogged! Where does the time go?

Here's just a little of what the girls have been up to lately:

-Uno! We play a lot of Uno! The girls are so obsessed. And they're really good at it. Masie and Presley play by themselves a lot and sometimes Presley even wins! And the best part is that they crack up if they have to Draw 4. They're great losers. :)

-Reading! Masie is doing a great job at reading. I am so impressed with how well I taught her! Or not. Really I'm so impressed with how well her teachers taught her and with how smart she is to learn it. I truly had nothing to do with it. She is brilliant. All of my girls are. :)

-Tumbling! Masie and Presley have started a tumbling class and they are in love. Masie started in January and Presley just started 2 weeks ago, and they are doing cartwheels and round-offs all over the place. Oh, and lets not forget the cheers. They are making up cheers to everything.

-Signing! Darby talks a little, and while she isn't saying a whole lot, she signs up a storm. She is so stinking cute. I think my favorite is when she's stinky and she touches her nose with her index finger. Such a suttle, ladylike way of telling us she needs a new diaper. It's so cute. Another favorite is when she's signs for her bath. She gets SO excited and her whole face lights up. Here is the cutest video of her signing.

We're going to the circus on Saturday so I'm sure I'll be back soon with some pictures. Jason and I saw Water for Elephants a few weeks ago so I can't help but picture Reese riding an elephant, but I'm fairly sure we won't see that happening. Pictures to come!

I Just Wanna See The Lions

2011-03-30T21:36:00.009-05:00

We took the girls to the zoo last weekend, and it was a perfect day for being there. We missed the madness of the spring break crowd and the weather was amazing. Here's a little recap of our trip.

The girls posing by some unknown animal.

All Masie wanted to see were the lions, and she let us know it every 2 minutes.

Feeding giraffes!

I can't believe she did it!

What a beauty. I can't believe how old she looks!

She is so darn cute. I love this picture.

One of my favorite things in this world is to see Presley skip.

She does it all the time and it is so cute.

We often do it together!

Darby's little forehead dents. I love them.

And again. And look at those puffy cheeks.

I love how Presley is hiding behind Masie. That is definitely her personality.

We ended our zoo trip with a train ride around the park with some friends we kept running into, and then after that we headed to California Pizza Kitchen at Memorial City Mall to use a gift card. And the girls' favorite part of the day? Playing on the playground at the mall. The free playground. Go figure.

Rodeo Day and Kisses

2011-03-29T20:39:00.007-05:00

Am I late on this or what? A few weeks ago was Rodeo Day at school, and the girls were so excited to wear their boots! Never mind the fact that they didn't want to wear their western outfits... at least they had their boots. And Masie wore a hat.

Look at that excitement written all over Masie's face!

Look at them holding hands! Love it!

Loving that hat!

Presley had to wear the pink dress! I think she wears that at some point almost

every day. You know, she's at the age where she changes outfits like 5 times.

This is a typical pose from them and it melts my heart

every stinkin' time. They really do love each other so much!

So after all that Presley ended up not even going to school. Her ear hurt, so we made a quick run to the doctor and she spent the day cuddled up on the couch with me watching Max and Ruby. I'm thinking she had more fun doing that than being at school with her boyfriend.

Oh yes, didn't I mention? She has a boyfriend and apparently they've been laying by each other at nap time and kissing on the playground. On the MOUTH!!! What?!?! Please, let's stick to playing dress-up and watching cartoons forever. I'm not ready for them to grow up!

From the Phone

2011-03-28T15:08:00.010-05:00

This is quite possibly one of my all time favorite pictures.

That face is priceless!

She has the cutest little scowl with her dented eyebrows.

I don't know how she does it!

Masie and Presley love to play out on the balcony upstairs by their room.

And sometimes the take nearly everything they own out there to play.

Can you see Masie down there at the end? She's there somewhere!

The girls went to work one day with Pa. Going to the

office, checking the mail, getting a lollipop at the bank, eating ice cream.

What a rough day!

We like to wait outside for Daddy to come home.

And one day the girls were pretending to be Ma and Pa (my parents)

reading the paper. Too funny!

I'm thankful for the convenience of the iphone so that I can capture everyday moments so easily! And thankfully they look okay when printed, too!

Growing Up

2011-03-12T21:32:00.004-06:00

Our first baby girl is growing up, and I can't do a thing to stop it!

On Wednesday afternoon as we were driving to Dallas I got an email from the girls' preschool telling us about Masie's preschool graduation. Well, that's too cute, I thought to myself. I imagined her in a little cap and gown--I have no idea if they'll really wear one, but that's the picture I saw in my head. I could see her so happy and excited to be graduating, so happy that we were there watching her. So of course I called my mom and told her to mark the calendar so my parents could be there.

While telling her about the graduation I could not believe it, but I actually started crying! What is wrong with me?! Oh my word, tears streaming at the mere talk of her graduating from preschool. I am a mess. My mom wisely told me that I will have plenty of more tears to come in her lifetime. I am sure I will.

Jason thought I was silly.

A few hours later, after we had gotten settled at Jason's parents house and were making dinner, I told his mom and sister about the graduation. And wouldn't you know it...crying again! I couldn't believe it! I was getting so emotional about my sweet little girl actually growing up. I don't think I'm ready for that to happen.

Jason walked in the room and said, "Oh my gosh, are you crying about that again?" He thinks I'm nuts.

The good news is that I did make it through telling Jason's dad and other sister without crying, so I may be getting a grip on things. We'll see about that.

I'll let you know when I officially have a graduate!

Our Church...A Little Update

2011-03-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posting anything about church since this tends to be a blog about the girls, but I thought it would be fun to update those who aren't there on Sundays with us.

Nearly three and a half years ago, while I was still pregnant with our 2nd child, Jason shared something that he had been praying about for some time. He said that he felt like God was calling us to start a church. What?! Really? I didn't think he even wanted to ever be a lead pastor, much less to start a church from nothing. We prayed for many months about this, and it was finally time to start. God had been preparing us and paving a way for this tiny church to begin. Amazingly enough, he began whispering to the hearts of others as well, and they joined us in the journey as we began meeting weekly.

When we first started we met in living rooms on Sunday evenings, and then in June of 2008 we had our first official Sunday morning service at an intermediate school. We met there for just over a year when we moved to our current location at a high school.

Since we've moved into the Woodlands High School a year and a half ago we've really seen major changes. God has been doing great things!!! We're not people counters by any means, so no one ever stands in the back and counts, but the seats have filled up considerably and I do believe we've passed the awkward stage of filling out a large auditorium! That's the problem with sitting in a place like that, you can't just put out the number of seats you want to, so you're stuck with what's there (although we do curtain off the back part). When I walk in there and see what God has grown I simply can't believe that what started in our living room with 16 people has become what it is today. God has been so faithful to do what we knew He would when He first called us to this.

We have a number of Community Groups around this area, mostly here in The Woodlands, Spring, and Magnolia, but also as far away as Kingwood and Rice Village. That. Is. Crazy!

Faithful leaders have stepped up to serve in so many ways on Sundays and during the week. There's currently more than 80 people serving in the children's ministry, and there are so many men that commit to setting up and tearing down our church each week. That seriously amazes me!!

God has brought an incredible team of staff together to serve this church, and we now have 4 full-time staff members, including the worship pastor who we have been together with from the get-go, the pastor of missional community who came last summer and a ministry assistant who has been with us for some time and just recently started working full-time. There are also a few part-time children's ministry staff members who are passionate about serving and working with the kids in KidsPoint. See the staff members here if you want! They are all amazing and we are thankful for them!

What has been by far the most incredible thing going on at our young church is to see hearts transformed and lives being changed by the Spirit and through the teaching of the Gospel. Of course, that is the most important thing, lives being transformed for eternity. This is why we do what we do. It has been amazing.

As a proud wife I have to say that I am continually amazed by Jason's teaching. He truly is an incredibly gifted communicator, and God has used him in amazing ways to preach the Gospel. He teaches verse by verse through a book of the Bible, and right now we're in Colossians. Every once in a while someone else will fill in if he's out of town or needs a break, and I am thankful that there are also others in the church who can step in and fill the role of teacher as well.

I pray daily for Jason as our pastor and leader, for the other staff members, for other families at WPCC, and for God to continually be glorified through all that is going on at our young church. I am continually thankful for all God has been doing these past few years, and I can't wait to see what He has in store in the future. It has been an incredible blessing to be a part of something so amazing.

Some more exciting church news is coming soon, and I can't wait to share it! I'll keep you posted!

Cutie Bootie!

2011-02-20T14:00:00.000-06:00

I love that little bootie and her roly poly legs!

Cheeky!

2011-02-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

Presley has been thrilled beyond belief to start swim lessons. And each time we go she poses so we can capture the memory with a picture.

I mean really...

...truly...

...could she be any cuter?

I'm not sure about that.

Well, maybe so!

I love that she had no clue whatsoever that her little cheeks were hanging out. And what did I do? Did I fix it every time she got out to jump in? No, I just took a picture so I could keep that memory alive forever. It was too cute to miss.

Catching Up

2011-02-08T20:02:00.004-06:00

Well, I'm back. A lot of you have asked why I closed my blog a couple of months ago. I have no idea why I did it, I just felt like making it private. But I still blogged. Feel free to read the posts!

And I'm sure a lot of you didn't even notice at all! :) Who cares where I've been?

Anyways, I decided to open it back up now, and I'm going to try to get back to this blogging stuff.

In huge news at our house, Darby started walking! Finally, after 15 months! She'd been able to walk for a couple of months, but she just didn't want to. She'd take 5 or 6 steps and then just sit down. But this afternoon out of the blue she decided that she wanted to walk, so she took off. She made laps around the house, laughing, tongue hanging out of her mouth, arms out to the side. It couldn't have been any cuter

Presley started swim lessons last week. She has been absolutely thrilled to start swimming. Today none of the other kids in her class showed up, so she got a private lesson. I was happy about that!

Masie started a tumbling class at a cheerleading place a few weeks ago, and she has loved it so much. Jason really hopes she's not a cheerleader like I was, and I think I'm starting to hope the same thing. It's so different from when I cheered way back in the day. So much more competitive and way more dangerous. But she loves her little class, practicing cartwheels and backbends. How harmful can that be? Time will tell if she follows in my footsteps or maybe does tennis like Jason.

We've started our fostering classes, and we're hoping to finish them all in March. Not only do I pray for our 3 daughters we have right now, but I also pray for the girl (girls?!) that God will place in our home in the future. The girls are definitely excited to have another sister, or two, and I pray for them so much. I pray for our family, too, that God will prepare all of us for the changes to come, and that we will display the love of Christ to a child who needs a family. We are excited to see what God has in store for us!

Well, thanks for catching up with us! More to come soon!

Cabin Fever

2011-01-27T18:53:00.003-06:00

Well this was a fun week!

Jason left for Honduras Monday morning early, while the girls were still asleep. Monday was a great day. Masie and Presley were at school, and Darby had a morning nap. After that we went to lunch with a new friend and had such a great time.

All was well until Tuesday about 2 a.m. That was the first time Presley puked. It was so awful. One bath and 1 sheet change later, and I put her back to bed after a little sip of water. Well, that was a mistake. A few minutes later she did it again. So, another bath and another sheet change later I put her in my bed, but this time on a thick blanket and with her hair pulled back into a ponytail so if it happened again maybe I wouldn't have to wash her hair and change sheets for the 3rd time. It worked! The next time it happened I only had to throw the blanket in the wash and get a new blanket, and I didn't have to wash her hair, just rinse her off again. And thankfully that was all.

Tuesday she was really tired and had a mild fever but other than that she seemed okay.

Well, next comes Wednesday at 2 a.m. Masie comes in crying, but thankfully I was able to get the trash can to her in time. Hallelujah! When all was said and done that night, I was sleeping in the middle of our bed with 1 girl on either side of me, on a blanket, with hair in a ponytail, and a trash can on both sides of the bed. They came in handy for sure, and so did that ponytail. I didn't have to give any baths that night. It was so great. The next day, however, Masie threw up a total of 15 times. Bless her little heart.

So, today is Thursday and Presley is back to her cute, happy little self, but Masie is still a mess. She's been sleeping most of the day, and she has a fever.

Thankfully, my mom came to stay with us for a few days while Jason was gone. She was able to keep Darby while I took the girls to the doctor, which was so great. They both had to get shots--Presley slept through hers--and Masie threw up in the examining room. I am so glad I didn't have Darby.

And somehow we were able to keep Darby away from all the germs. By the grace of God. I can't imagine her having been sick, too.

Jason finally got back from Honduras, and we are together again. I am ready for tomorrow for sure. I don't know what's going on here, but I do know that I can't stand another day stuck in this house! I've got to get out!

Exploring

2011-01-20T21:00:00.001-06:00

My parents live on a few acres, and we love their backyard. It's so beautiful and peaceful. A few years ago they added a fence around a large area so all the grandkids can run free and not be able to get out, and it's been great to have. However, there's a huge area outside that fence that our kids have never seen. I'm not sure why I had never taken them around the backyard, but when we were there a few weeks ago I realized that they had never seen so much of the place whereI had played when I was little.

So we went exploring! They had so much fun going in the "jungle" and looking for "treasures" on the ground. We did find a boy's homework wedged in some brush in the middle of the yard about Babylonian captivity. Not quite sure how it got there!

Well, while we were in the "jungle" area the girls were peeking over the fence at the neighbor's yard and it was just so cute that we had to take some pictures. Had I known what a great photo opportunity it was I would have dressed them a little cuter and fixed their hair. Heck, I would have even put shoes on Darby! I didn't know she was going to get out of the stroller.

Could they be cuter?

Just for kicks I jumped in one!

I love that protective arm on her back. :)

Raise that leg!

Presley was doing all sorts of funny posing...

So sweet.

Love this!

We had a fun impromptu photo session along with lots of fun exploring. I imagine we'll do it again next time we're there, but next time they'll be dressed for the part. Or at least I will have brushed their hair!

Christmas pics, a little late!

2011-01-18T10:35:00.000-06:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone and we are back to normal now. For 2 weeks we went back and forth several times to my parent's house to visit my family. Lots of fun was had by all with all 8 cousins there!

Christmas Eve

I love these sisters! I can't get over how cute

Darby's crossed ankles and clasped hands are.

Christmas morning

Loving her scooter!

The next Taylor Swift?

She loves that guitar. And she needs a shoulder strap.

I love this expression! Evil eye!

And this one is even better! I love this!

Christmas night at my parent's house.

All of us!

Ma, Pa and the cousins.

Christmas Program

2010-12-16T21:58:00.001-06:00

Yesterday the girls had their Christmas program at school, and it was so fun to watch.

Masie was an angel in the school play. We ordered her a really sweet little angel costume, and she couldn't have looked like a cuter angel. She also sang a few songs, and she loved being up on the stage. Ma was able to come to the play, and she was so happy for that, but at the same time she was upset that not all of her family could be there. At one point she told me that she didn't want to be in the play if not everyone could come. She Pa, Mimi, and Papa here, along with all of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Everyone!! She finally agreed that we could film it and show it to them. :)

Presley was so cute as well. Oh my, I really couldn't believe that she sang so loud. I expected her to just stand there and stare, but she really sang and did all the movements. It was so precious. And she didn't seem to care that only Mommy, Daddy, and Ma were there to see her!

What a precious day! I'm so thankful for the memories we have of them doing such fun things like that.

Bunk Beds... At Last!

2010-12-14T22:00:00.001-06:00

The girls have started sharing a room again!

Last week their bunk beds were all painted and ready to go, so we spent the better part of the afternoon and evening setting up their beds and their room.

They were GIDDY with excitement. I can't even describe how excited and precious they were. For the first few days Masie kept saying, "Mommy, I can't even stop looking at our room, it's so pretty!" And, "Mommy, I can't believe our room is so beautiful!" Obviously, she was in love! And then every once in a while Presley would ask me, "Mommy, why is our room beautiful?" It was so cute. She loves to be just like her big sis.

Since then the girls have really loved it. For the most part the only problems we have had are fighting over who sleeps on top. They've been taking turns with that, switching every other night, and it seems to be working.

They love their room so much! And I love watching them love it.

Firsts!

2010-12-05T22:39:00.003-06:00

Today was a day of first for our little Dibby Darby.

At dinner tonight while we were all praying she put her little cup down and clasped her hands together like us. It couldn't have been any cuter!

So when she did that we all clapped and cheered, so she started clapping, too. And then every time we'd ask her to clap she would start clapping. But her little clap is so cute--her right hand stays put, and her left hand is the one that moves. I love it.

Jason was playing with her earlier, and he got a brush and brushed her hair. Then she grabbed it and started brushing her hair, too. And of course it was cuter when she did it.

She's also been standing for long periods of time. And when I say long periods I mean maybe 5 seconds. That's pretty long if you think about it.

She is such a squishy, happy little baby. I can't get over how round and smiley and stinkin' cute she is! She adds so much happiness and laughter to our life, and I'm relishing every second!

Deep Sleep

2010-12-02T22:46:00.003-06:00

Tonight we heard a thud, followed by silence. When we went to investigate this is what we found.

Poor little Presley was sleepy! And of course Jason put her back in her bed. And she loved seeing this picture the next day! She didn't have a clue it had happened.

Today

2010-12-02T22:45:00.003-06:00

Today was such a fun day with my princesses. Oh how I love being their mommy!

This morning we went to the park with some friends, and it could not have been a more beautiful day for that. All was great until Masie fell and busted her upper lip open. I would have lost it for sure at the sight of the blood had it not been for my friends helping me. Thankfully, after a while she was fine except for a little puffy upper lip. I'm just glad it wasn't her teeth. A few minutes after it happened she asked me to stop talking to her because it hurt her mouth to answer me. Poor sweet girl! That obviously wasn't a good part of the day, but a memorable one nonetheless!

After that we all headed to Chick-fil-A, definitely a favorite with us. I surprised the girls with a kids meal and they could not have been more excited for their chocolate milk and toy. We had a long good lunch with good friends and for that I am thankful.

We spent some time this afternoon making some pumpkin muffins. Finally--I had bought the ingredients a month ago, but I just hadn't made them yet. The girls had so much fun helping me make them, and even more fun eating them. We finished up the afternoon playing in their closets, playing outside, and watching a little bit of the Wizard of Oz, another favorite of my girls.

Right before dinner Jason took Masie and Presley to the Y with me, and Dibby and I stayed home together. What fun I have with that little munchkin! She did the cutest thing for the first time... I would say, "Darby, can I have a kiss?" while puckering up for her, and she would lean in for a smooch. Melt my heart! She couldn't be any cuter. I'm loving what she's learning and doing.

After dinner we decorated the girls' new pink Christmas tree. We got some silver beads and little ornaments and they went to town on that. I love it. I hope it's something they look forward to every year. I think when we finish up their room we'll put it in there for them to enjoy.

I'm loving this time of life with them and I cherish every memory we have together. They get cuter and sweeter and more precious each day.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T22:48:00.005-06:00

Oh, the fun week we had for Thanksgiving!!

Jason's parent's got the girls and took them back to their house in Dallas on the Saturday evening before Thanksgiving, and so Jason and I had from then until Wednesday to spend alone without the girls.

We had so much fun! But at the same time I missed the girls WAY too much!!! It was only 4 nights that I was gone, but my word, my heart was aching to hug and kiss and snuggle those 3 sweet little faces. They really could not be more precious to me.

While the girls were away we went on dates to movies, went out to eat too many times, and we even spent the day down in Houston shopping one day. We saw a movie and ate dinner at the place we had out very first date, the Cheesecake Factory in the Galleria. It was such a great time to be alone together, to date each other, to spend time focusing on only each other and no one else. It was definitely much needed!

Our date at Cheesecake Factory

We also spent some good time working on a project for the girls. Soon Masie and Presley will share a room... for the 3rd time. Let's hope the 3rd time's the charm!! I'm hoping it will be better this time than the last. After all, they're a year older now. We were busy painting bunk beds for them and painting the walls. They are so stinking excited to share a room this time around. I hope it's a fun place for them, a place they love to be, and also a place where they can have their own separate space to be alone.

Just For Me

2010-11-28T22:44:00.003-06:00

Well, I did it. I have been talking about making this blog a private on for probably a year and I just did it. I think I feel like only letting me read it for a while. And Jason, of course. I think I will be more real with what I'm posting, and maybe I'll post more often. Who knows if this will work or not? I guess only I will find out.

I've been really bad about posting pictures and cute stories of the girls, and for that I could cry. Well, not really, but I wish I had been better over the past year. This afternoon after church I randomly pulled out Darby's baby book to look at it and it has literally been months since I filled it in. And now I don't know what to write in it. If I had been better about blogging maybe I'd have something to look back on, but not so much. Here's to getting better!

But maybe in the future I'll open it back up to everyone again and you can be reading this, too.

Family Pictures

2010-11-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago a friend from church graciously took pictures of the staff and their families just because he's nice like that, and so we got some new family pictures!

Seeing as how this was about a month ago I already look way different. I cut almost a foot of hair off for locks of love, and now looking at these pictures I'm wishing I had cut it before. My hair looks nasty. Oh well.

And a friend at church told me today that she loves my hair... it makes me look older. Well yay! Every 31-year-old mom of 3 wants to be told that!!! (My bday was last week, so now I'm feeling and sounding too old.) After I pointed that out to her she quickly said that she meant "more sophisticated," but the damage had already been done. I'm an old lady.

Anyway, here are some of the pictures. I think he did an incredible job. He is an amazing photographer!

I love all the pictures, minus the hair nastiness going on. Maybe if I had actually spent some time fixing it it would have looked better. Anyway, check Chip's site out here. And call him if you're wanting some pictures taken!!!

2010-11-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

The girls had their fall festival at school last week, and I'm so glad Darby and I were able to go join them!

At one point I had told Masie that I wasn't sure if I would be able to go, and she was so disappointed. It just melted my heart! I wonder how long I'll be *wanted* around at school functions? I hope for a VERY long time. I was so happy that she wanted me there!

I feel like I spent most of my time going back and forth between the classes, but thankfully Darby was cooperating and being super sweet in her stroller despite being so tired.

Presley getting a strike!

Masie doing I don't know what. I have no clue what

that game was called, but she was trying to knock down a pumpkin on a ladder.

I LOVE this sweet little girl! She is growing up so very fast.

And I LOVE this sweet little girl, too.

I love those big hugs she gives me.

We love our preschool so much and are so thankful for all of the fun and love they have for our kids!!

1!

2010-11-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today our sweet little Darby turns one!

I truly can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday she decided to come in the middle of church. I loved that mad dash to the hospital! I will forever be thankful that my labor started naturally rather than we we had (reluctantly) scheduled her to come.

This little Dibby brings so much joy and happiness to our family. She has the sweetest little cheeks, the squishiest thighs, and the most precious smile.

She loves to swing! Oh my word, she could stay in the backyard for hours in her little pink swing. She gets so excited every time she sees it, pointing her fingers and kicking her legs. It's so precious.

She's a pro at her army crawl, and although she can crawl the old-fashioned way, she prefers to be on her belly. She's not quite standing on her own yet, but she does love to take cruises around the furniture.

We are so thankful for every second with this sweet little ball of squishiness and sunshine! Happy birthday Dibby Darby! We love you!

3!

2010-10-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to our middle princess, our sweet little Presley! I absolutely can't believe that today she is 3!!!

I love this little girl so much. I love that she always wants to cuddle with me, and I can't get enough of her sweet cheeks! They are so kissable, and I'm sure one day soon she'll have had enough of me kissing them.

Presley is such a sweetie pie. She loves her sisters so much, and always wants to play with them. She also loves princesses so she's constantly wearing a princess costume - but it has to be poofy on the bottom so she can twirl in it, or she won't wear it. Not only is she a princess, but she's a ballerina princess, so she twirls on the knuckles of her toes. She'll twirl, run, and walk on them. It looks so painful, but she's just doing it like a ballerina does! She's also really into Polly Pockets, and pretty much into anything that Masie loves at the time. However, one of our favorite things about her is her cute little voice. She's at that age where she can talk like a big girl but still has her sweet little "baby" voice. It's so cute.

She is growing up before our eyes, and I can't believe it. Happy birthday Presley! We love you so very much!

5!

2010-09-14T21:20:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that Masie is five today! Oh my word, where has the time gone? She has grown to be such a beautiful little girl with such a sweet heart.

This little girl LOVES her little sisters. She cherishes them and loves to protect them from things. I love to see the way she takes care of them. She is so loving and quite the silly pants. She is super sweet and happy, unless of course she is having a bad hair day, and then... watch out! Yikes, I didn't realized it would happen so young. Maybe she'll grow out of it before the teenage years hit.

She's had such a great birthday! Today we came up to the Lost Pines resort with the Eppers for a few days, so she spent the latter part of the day on the beach building sand castles, swimming, and eating dinner outside. We have had a great time with them, and I know the rest of our next couple of days will be just as much fun.

I'm so thankful for our sweet little Masie, our 5-year-old princess. She makes every day sweeter and more fun. Happy birthday Masie! We love you!

Fun at the Beach!

2010-09-10T16:57:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we went on a mini-vacation with my parents and my sister's family. We went to Galveston, and we had a great time! The only thing that was missing was my brother's family. Maybe next year we can all go.

It was Darby's first time at the beach, and I am kicking my self that I didn't get a picture of her there. However, in my defense, we were there for no more than 17 minutes. The girls didn't want to go in the first place. They really just wanted to go to the pool, but we made them go.

I think they had fun for maybe 8 minutes, and then they were over it. But don't they look cute?

One of the few pictures from that 17 minutes.

So maybe she liked it just a little bit. :)

I think it took us longer to load up the stroller with all our junk, walk down there, get all settled at the beach, pack our stuff back up, and walk back than the time we were actually there. And the hotel was on the beach. Figures.

Playing with cousins the next morning. We were able to

trick them into going again for a while. I think

we lasted 30 minutes before we went to the pool.

I LOVE that little cheek hanging out.

Rainforest Cafe for Eli's birthday!

The next day at Moody Gardens.

Our little poser.

Love those cheeks!

Even though the water was yucky and brown and they didn't enjoy the beach at all, we had a fabulous time. I can't wait to do it again!

Tub

2010-09-02T15:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I gave my first kitchen sink bath not too long ago! Not a bath for me, but for Darby of course. For some reason I just never did it with the other girls.

Darby would scream every time I tried to bathe her in that little baby bathtub, so up until recently I just bathed her laying on top of the kitchen counter, which she loved!! So much! But she got a little too wiggly, so into the sink she went. And she loves that, too.

Of course I had to take a few pictures

because she is too stinkin' cute for words.

I could just eat her up!

*Just a little disclaimer that the water is so yucky because she was taking an oatmeal bath to soothe her little chapped behind. She had the most horrendous diaper rash EVER. It is not--I repeat it is NOT--dirty dish water.

Could she be any cuter?

School!

2010-08-31T21:30:00.004-05:00

Monday was the girls' first day of school, and of course I took a million pictures like every other parent.

Ready to go! Daddy got them roses for their first day.

And a picture with Darby.

At school. Can't you just see Presley saying, "Cheese!"

I love those sweet curls.

Presley was so happy to have one of the same teachers as last year.

Wouldn't you know it by these pictures?

She just didn't want to have her picture taken with them.

Masie is so excited to have Lexie in her class this year!

Again, can't you hear her saying, "Cheese!"

This picture cracks me up.

Masie with her teachers. She was a more compliant about

taking her picture with them than Presley, don't you think?

After school we went to celebrate with ice cream at Cold Stone!

Ice cream is their love language.

We are all so excited that school has started, and I know the girls will have a great year!!

Hair

2010-08-05T23:08:00.002-05:00

Masie has been wanting to cut her hair short for over a year and I keep talking her out of it. I just love long hair. Of course she's had her hair cut, but she's been wanting it to her shoulders and somehow she never leaves Sweet N Sassy looking that way. I guess when I kept saying, "Are you sure? Really sure? No more braids if your hair is short!" I was making her not so sure. But Tuesday was the day! I didn't even ask if she was sure. We just went for it.

Here's her hair before: Nice waves from the braid.

And here's before the other

before picture, when it was still braided.

And after!

Isn't that sweet?

She really loves it. Now it won't get tangled as much and it won't get caught in her armpit. I just hate it when that happens. Not really--my hair doesn't get caught in my armpit. I'm not sure why hers did.

Anyway, I think she looks so precious and I'm so glad she finally did it!

9 Months

2010-08-01T22:00:00.008-05:00

I can't believe Darby is already 9 months old! And even more than that, I can't believe I'm blogging!

Look at that sweet face!

Our little Dibby is getting bigger and cuter every day. Here are a few things about our little baby girl:

--She is rarely called Darby around these parts. It's most often Dibby Dibby. Or just Dibby. Or Darby Darbs. Or Dibby Dop. Or Dibs. Take your pick. All of the girls have a million nick names. Come to think of it, Jason does, too. Hmmm. And I have just one.

--She's a pro at sitting now.

--She's crawling! Not with her belly off the floor yet, but she's definitely getting around.

--She's a twirler. She loves to twirl her hands and feet. It might possibly be one of the cutest things ever. My favorite is when she's eating in the Bumbo. She'll hold her arms out and twirl

her little wrists and ankles around in circles. Then she'll pause for a bite, and then resume her twirling. Then repeat.

--She has her two bottom middle teeth.

--She is SO happy. She's always smiling and happy (and twirling) unless she's tired or hungry.

--Some nights she goes to bed at 5 and doesn't get up until after 7 in the morning. With one small exception...

Look at those cheeks! And that cute little chin!

--...That exception being that almost every morning at 4 she wakes up crying. I just go in her room and put her paci back in her mouth and she goes right to sleep. I should probably let her figure out how to go back to sleep on her own but I really don't want her waking the other girls up, not to mention keeping me awake.

--We are all completely in love with her, and she is such a joy in our lives.

I tried many times to get some videos up to show her twirling away, but for some reason it doesn't work. Hopefully soon I'll figure it out.

Milestones

2010-06-21T21:23:00.006-05:00

Well, the girls have each hit some milestones in the past few weeks. They're growing up before our eyes!

Masie finally started swimming. She had had some lessons and was very hesitant at trying without floaties. But one night we were at a friends house and she did it! I'm so proud of her. She's not scared at all anymore.

She's even been jumping off the diving board at the pool.

This little cutie pants is obsessed with puzzles. We went to the store a couple of weeks ago and bought a ton of puzzles. Most of them were 24-piece, and Presley mastered those within a few days. I noticed that she was pretty good at this 63-piece one; she always did Strawberry Shortcake and the puppies all by herself. One day when she asked me for help I just kept telling her that she could do it by herself. She got very frustrated with the letters. We don't have the box for the puzzles, so she didn't know what the letters were supposed to look like, but she eventually got it. I am amazed.

Now if we could just get her potty trained I will be an even happier momma!

And here's a cute little video of her jumping in the pool. She has no fear.

And Darby has her first tooth! She got it on June 2--I need to remember that so I can write it down in her baby book. I am way behind!

We've loved every second of summer so far. And Jason just booked a vacation for us in July. The girls will be gone for a week and we're going away alone! I can't wait! Maybe when we come back from vacation Mimi and Papa will have Presley all potty trained. That would be a nice surprise!

First Swim

2010-06-07T22:14:00.002-05:00

Well, sort of.

A couple of weeks ago we went to the pool with some friends and had a blast. And since it was Darby's first time at the pool I had to document it with a few pictures.

Here's little Miss Thing lounging poolside. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the water. She cried every time we tried to get in, so we just stopped trying and sat next to the hot tub until we were sweating, and then we headed over to the chairs.

Could she not be any cuter? I just want to eat her up!

When we first got in the pool I tried putting her in that little floatie thingy that she sits in, but she just fell straight back so I had to hold her the whole time. She would drown in there for sure. So until she gets a little more sturdy and can sit up in there I don't see how I'll be able to go to the pool with all the girls unless Jason is with me. Or unless I grow a few extra arms or get a nanny. I'll take either one.

And a picture of Presley going airborne. This girl has absolutely no fear of the water. She'll jump in anytime regardless of whether or not she's wearing floaties or if anyone is standing there to catch her. I need to get her into swim lessons!

And Masie. She LOVES to swim and has no fear, either. I hope she's swimming well by the end of the summer.

And I just found this little gem on the computer so I had to add it. Could that be any cuter? I think not. That's Presley at around 9 months or so. It's one of my favorite pictures of her. Look at those cheeks!

I'm so excited for summer to be here. It's going to be so fun, and I'm sure we'll spend lots of time doing crafts, playing games, going to the pool (with all my extra arms), and watching lots of Full House.

Last Day of School

2010-05-30T22:05:00.007-05:00

The girls had their last day of school on Wednesday. I can't believe summer is already here!

Here are the girls on their first day of school

in September, on Masie's 4th birthday.

Jason took the girls to school on their last day, and this was the best picture he was able to get. I'll take it! It's better than none. I can't believe how much they've grown up.

Masie and Caitlyn on the first day.

All the girls on the last day.

I went up to the school after Darby's nap and hung out with the girls for a while before their splash time, and I was so glad I did that instead of running my usual errands.

And now summer is here! I can't believe it.

Our church had it's 2nd annual church baptism and picnic this morning and it was so fun, despite all the heat. After we had been there maybe 10 minutes Masie fell and busted her lip. I missed the whole thing because I was chatting with a friend, but apparently she had blood all over her face, and it dripped all over her shirt, too. Unfortunately, that set the tone for the whole morning for her, and she did not have a good time at all. She moped around the whole time and asked when she could go home. She finally perked up a little bit when she had a cupcake, but then went back to sulking after that. I wish she had allowed herself to have a better time. The rest of us sure did! I just wish there had been more time to be able to visit with people.

My favorite part by far was the baptisms in the pool. I can never get enough of celebrating with others who are celebrating their new life in Christ. It was especially great seeing parents baptize their own children, something I pray for daily that we will get to do for our girls at a young age. I can't wait for next year's picnic!

Stuff

2010-05-14T22:53:00.005-05:00

Sorry to bore you to death, but in an effort to update this here are a few things about us this week:

--Darby had her 4 month appointment the other day. Nevermind that she is now 6 1/2 months old!

--She is still our skinny minny. At 14 lbs and 26.5 inches, she is in the 15% for weight and 75% for height. And she has a small head, 30%.

--Jason and I had a date tonight: dinner and a movie! We saw Letters to Juliet and it was so cute. What a much needed date it was, thanks to our awesome babysitter Ali.

--We had 4 doctor's appointments this week between the 3 girls. Lots of co-pays, lots of medicine, lots of shots...lots of fun! At Darby's well check on Thursday I ended up taking Presley in for a sick visit. I will never do that alone again! It was so miserable.

And here are a few random pictures that I found on the computer.

I took this of the girls several months ago.

I just love how Presley is looking at Masie.

Outside in the snow!

My sister's kids and ours on Easter.

Easter

Could she be cuter?

Why yes, amazingly, she can!

And to put you out of your misery, I am now done.

6 Months!

2010-05-05T23:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm a few days late on this, but Darby is already 6 months old! I seriously don't know how that happened so quickly. Here's what's going on with her right now:

--In the last few months my milk has been drying up. I wanted to nurse her for at least a year like I did with the other 2 girls, but it didn't work our like I had wanted. I have cried over it and felt guilty for so long, but I'm okay with it now. I am trusting that God has different and much better plans for Darby and for me than the plans that I tried to make on my own. And He knows best! So she's strictly a bottle baby now, and she likes to hold it all by herself. This is so different for me than with her sisters. They rarely had bottles. I've found that it does provide a lot more freedom! And now I don't have to plan what I'm wearing around whether it is convenient for breast feeding. That has surely been nice!

--She is so happy! As long as she's been feed and has had a good nap she is a very happy little girl. She gives us lots of smile and laughs.

--She has found her feet! I love it when she's on her back, lifts her feet in the air, grabs them, and rolls over on her side. That's one of my favorite things babies do. It couldn't be cuter.

--She coos and babble all the time. I love to hear her talk.

--She's still our tiny girl. I'm not sure how much she weighs since I'm a bit behind with the doctor appointments. (Poor 3rd child!) But she's smaller than the other 2 that's for sure. I need to take her to her 6 month appointment and get her stats. But oh wait, I need to take her to her 4 month appointment first. Yikes!

--This girl loves her paci. (Another thing that is so different from her sisters.) She always has one in her mouth I love it when she smiles and it falls out. Precious!

--She's been eating cereal/oatmeal every once in a while, but she's not a big fan. Hopefully she'll get better at eating food soon.

Well, keep telling myself I'll do it, but someday soon I'm going to get all the pictures from the camera and put some up here. In the meantime, iphone to the rescue. Again!

Bluebonnets

2010-04-19T10:50:00.000-05:00

This is the year! I was determined that this year we were finally going to get good bluebonnet pictures. Our attempts in the past few years were quite sad.

My good friend Ashley told me about her sister Lindsay who was doing bluebonnet mini-sessions, and I jumped at the chance. I love her work, and I am so happy that we finally got some good family bluebonnet pictures!!!!

Could they be any cuter? I love those sweet girls. And I love our new pictures!!

Pictures!

2010-04-15T21:55:00.005-05:00

I'm way behind on what's been going on, so here to update us are a few photos, compliments of my phone, of course.

I love this picture. Could they be any cuter?

Darby got her ears pierced. She only cried for a few seconds,

and then she was fine. I'm so glad we're done with that!

She's already 5 1/2 months old! I can't believe it. She is getting

cuter and sweeter every day. I love every last ounce of her.

And so do her sisters. And Daddy, too, of course.

Sweet sisters! Love this.

She got her face painted at a church carnival that we went to together.

She really enjoyed some alone time with me, and it's

something that we need to do more often.

This girl could live on the swing. "Mommy, pusha me. Pusha me higher!"

Masie and Presley are leaving tomorrow to spend the weekend in Dallas. They are going to have so much fun! And we'll be here with just Darby. One child? Piece of cake!

Presley and Her Costumes

2010-03-10T14:45:00.001-06:00

Presley is really into dressing up lately. She wears some type of dress-up something all the time. She even wore her huge pink tu-tu to church on Sunday. She got so many compliments.

When Masie goes to ballet Presley insists on wearing her ballet outfit, too. So here she is sporting it and the boots we borrowed from Campbell. She wore them for hours like that on the wrong feet.

I love this. The princess is taking a potty break while doing the breathing machine and reading a book. Why not? No pee for her, though. She'd rather go in the diaper.

She is in love with this tu-tu. It's the one she wore to church.

On a walk Saturday morning. Too cute.

She runs with her arms up. It's so dainty.

This sort of doesn't even look like her, but I love this picture.

Look at those sweet cheeks.

Loving our little girl who loves to dress up so much!

Oh, and Masie had so much fun taking pictures of Presley all dressed up with our real camera, so I'll have to post those soon. As usual these are from my phone, hence the poor quality.

4 Months

2010-03-01T16:00:00.002-06:00

I can't believe Darby has been with us for 4 months already! Where has the time gone?

Isn't she adorable?

Too precious.

We've hit a major milestone with her so far. We can put her down in her crib AWAKE and she'll put herself to sleep on her own... without fussing or crying! That is huge for us. I can't believe how easy it was to get her to do it. It makes our life so much better.

Darby is a super happy baby. She smiles all the time and coos up a storm. I still haven't heard her laugh yet, but I hope it's not too far away.

Presley is talking more and more everyday. She cracks us up. If she's wearing long sleeves the sleeves MUST be pushed up to her elbows, even it it's cold and snowy outside. One day we asked her why she always pushes her sleeves up, and she said, "Betause I don't like them down." Well of course! It was just so funny to hear her say it. She's really into hiding under covers, holding her babies and playing with our phones.

She's still having to use the breathing machine a few times a day. Hopefully before she heads off to college she'll be done with it.

Masie is getting so old! I can't believe how she's growing up. And in her old age she is so thoughtful of other people. Just this afternoon she showed me this cup and said, "Mom, if you see any money put it in here. The money is for Jesus and for all the other people who don't have any food." And she's always talking about Haiti, and she want to pray for them and help them. She would like for all of the kids who don't have food and clothing and a home to come live with us. Sweet girl! And what a big helper she always is.

We are loving our life with these girls. They are so precious and make life sweeter!

Stats and Pictures!

2010-02-19T12:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Darby finally went to the doctor for her 2 month well check. We were waiting on her insurance stuff to get worked out, so it took a while. We were only a month and a half late!

Here's her stats at 3 1/2 months:

length: 24 inches, 75%

weight: 11 lbs, 9 oz, 25-50%

head: 16 inches, 75%

I looked through Masie's and Presley's baby books, and here's what I saw:

--At 2 months Masie weighted more than Darby does now at 13 lbs, 2 oz.

--At 4 months she weighed 14 lbs, 10 oz.

--She was in the 75% for weight, and the 50% for height.

--At 2 months Presley weighed 10 lbs, 14 oz.

--At 4 1/2 months she weighed 14 lbs, 4 oz.

--She was also 75% for weight and 50% for height.

Two words come to my mind: Roly Polies!!!

Can you imagine if in 2 weeks Darby gained 3 pounds? That's how big the other girls were at this point. They had huge cheeks and creases all the way down their arms and legs.

And just for fun here are some pictures to compare. I'm so lazy/ghetto/whatever-you-want-to call-it that I'm just going to take a picture of these pictures with my phone. It's the fastest and easiest way. I realize that by doing this these pictures look like they were taken in the stone ages, but it's midnight I'm ready to be done.

Darby a week ago

Darby

This is Presley 2 1/2 months.

Look at that hair!!! Luscious.

Presley at 3 months

Presley

Masie at 2 1/2 months:

Masie

I had several other pictures that I wanted to post here also, but for some odd reason they didn't look good when I took a picture with my phone. I can't imagine why.

Well this really makes me wish we had all our pictures in order. Some are on cds, some are at shutterfly, some are who-knows-where. I have no idea where they all are, but I do have a few printouts close by. How awful and annoying. If the scanner weren't such a pain in the rear I'd use it now, but no thanks. I don't feel like it.

So what do you think? Who looks like who?

Bathroom Redo #1

2010-02-15T23:10:00.001-06:00

Our home was built in 1981. We really wanted an older house... but with an older home comes much updating to be done. Remember this post? It cracks me up that people thought I was serious. If you haven't read it already, please go there and see all of the loveliness that our home was when we moved in.

We finally tackled the half bath, and by we I obviously mean my handy husband. This bathroom was not gross by any means; it just wasn't "us." We wanted to change it.

Here are some before pictures. However, Jason added the beadboard, and I forgot to get a picture before that.

Anyway, just a nice beige color. Nothing wrong with it, but I didn't want it. Nor did I want the brass fixtures.

(Every time Jason paints a room

he does this first. He's a cutie!)

So what's a girl on a budget to do? Jason really wanted to buy a new light fixture, faucet, towel rack, and toilet paper holder. But I didn't! I didn't feel like spending money on that stuff when we have tons of other things we were wanting to fix up, too. Those things add up quickly!

It took some time, but I finally convinced him to try things my way. Spray paint to the rescue!! I had seen so many blogs with people using Rustoleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint to redo things, so I thought we'd give it a try. It was hard to find, though. We eventually found it at the little Sears hardware store by our house.

Anyway, look how great it turned out! And all we paid for was primer and spray paint. What a cheap way to fix things up!

We painted the walls a pretty blueish gray just like the kitchen. I can't for the life of me think of the name of it, but we got a little sample card at Restoration Hardware and had it made at Wal-Mart instead. We weren't about to spend $40 on a gallon of paint there. $8 Wal-Mart paint works just fine for us.

I'm not too wild about the sconces above the potty, but they were just sitting in the closet and I wanted something to fill the space. For now they will work, but I would like something different there eventually.
We'd love to have that fake granite countertop gone, but that costs too much money at this point. Maybe one day!

Overall we love how it turned out. Hooray for cheap and easy redos! I'll be back soon with more before and afters. We finally got rid of the lovely wallpaper in the other bathrooms. Thank goodness!

TGIF

2010-02-12T11:15:00.001-06:00

It's fun to be back on the blogging bandwagon. I've missed it! And I decided it needed a new look. I'd had the other background for a year and half, and I was sick of looking at it. I'm sure it will change a lot from now on.

But on to better things.

As I've shared before, my secret t.v. obsession about two years ago was 90210. It all started before Presley was born. I would get Masie down for a nap from 2-4 and watch 2 episodes of it. Maybe I watched them all the way through. I can't remember correctly whether or not I wasted 2 hours of my life everyday to watch Dylan flip-flop between Kelly and Brenda, David try in vain to get Donna to sleep with him, Andrea try to get Brandon to notice her, and Val backstab every girl in sight. Oh, the memories! Of course Kelly was my favorite. If only we had DVR back then. I honestly spent so much time watching that show. I loved it.

Now I'm older and wiser. I don't waste my time on such nonsense. (We don't have the SoapNet channel anymore. It was a sad day in my life when our free 6 month trial ended.)

Anyway, on to my current obsession. It's a little more family friendly. Full House!! Another one of my favorite shows growing up. I mean really, there was nothing more important to do on a Friday night than to watch Uncle Jesse on TGIF. Am I right? I think so. But not for Jason. He has informed me that he only watched TGIF on Fridays to get to 20/20 afterwards. What was wrong with him? What a weird child.

I love that man.

A few months ago we discovered it on ABC Family in the afternoons. We try not to watch to much t.v. with the girls, but sometimes when they wanted to watch something I'd put it on because it's something that I'd actually want to watch, too. Plus, we can watch one episode and be done in 22 minutes. It beats watching Dora or a whole movie. I started DVRing them to have on hand, and so we have about 487 episodes. It's a bit ridiculous.

Anyway, it's kind of become a tradition that we watch an episode while we eat an afternoon snack. Even Presley chimes in now with, "I wanna watch Full House!" It's too funny because she doesn't even really watch it, though occasionally she'll laugh with us.

Anyway, here are a few things that I've noticed and/or been reminded of since watching it again:

--Everyone knows that Uncle Jesse's name is Jesse Katsopolis, right? But did you know that in the first season his name is Jesse Cochran? How weird! Why did they change his name? It reminds me of Family Matters: Remember how one season they wrote the little sister off the show? I think her name was Judy. One day she just didn't come back. Weird.

--I always loved hearing them call each other "nerd bomber" and "geek burger." Does anyone remember that?

--I always wanted to be Aunt Becky when I grew up. I loved her hair.

--Jesse and Joey had a lot of career changes! Oh my word.

--They finally got rid of Uncle Jesse's awful mullet when he was in a motorcycle accident. I didn't remember that.

--Most of the episodes I had already seen and know by heart, but I actually saw one the other day that I don't recall seeing before. What was I doing that Friday night? And why hadn't I seen it on reruns before?

--I recently told Travis Smith that he reminded me of Steve, DJ's boyfriend. Does anyone see it? No? Me either. Clearly I need glasses.

Well, this had no point at all, and if you're still reading I am amazed. And I can't believe I just wrote about that.

Did anyone else like that show as much as I did?

World's Worst Parents

2010-02-10T22:30:00.001-06:00

I just wrote that title to make myself feel better. It should really be "World's Worst Mom."

So the girls had a special Valentine's Day party today at school. There was a sign up sheet for things to bring for the party, like all the other parties they've had at school. Juice, fruit, cheese, cookies, turkey rolls, etc. Something along those lines. And they were all lunch parties. So of course I assumed this was for lunchtime, right? I was so excited when I realized last night that I didn't need to fix lunches. I dread doing that.

This morning I kissed the girls good-bye, told them to have a fun day, and then Jason took them to school.

I picked them up, and they were so excited about their special Valentine's treats. Oh my, they had so many crafts and cards and candy. It was ridiculous. They told me about their day and about all the fun they had. Yay! A great day.

So dinnertime rolls around, and we were talking about school and their parties again. Then Masie told us that she forgot her lunch and her nap mat. Oops. Jason blamed me for forgetting their nap mats. But hello? I'm not the one who took them to school. That blame rests squarely on his shoulders. Oh the guilt.

But the lunch!? What? She said that all of the others kids were eating lunch but she didn't have a lunch. She forgot it. Well what about the Valentine's party?

"Didn't you eat lunch at school with the other kids?"

Apparently not. It must have been just a snack.

OH THE GUILT!!! Oh my gosh, I didn't know they were still supposed to take a lunch, too.

So when we asked what she ate for lunch she said, "Nothing."

MORE GUILT.

"You didn't eat anything at all?"

"Well, my teacher gave me some pineapple."

Oh my goodness. I wish they would have called me. I totally would have gone up there to take them lunch. I was enjoying a yummy Chick-fil-A lunch with Jason and Darby while Masie ate a few bites of her teacher's pineapple and Presley ate who-knows-what. She said she ate lunch, but when I asked her if she ate alligators for lunch she nodded yes. Whatever.

I can't believe I sent the our girls to school without food. I. AM. AWFUL.

But even in the midst of all that guilt Jason and I couldn't stop laughing. It's kinda funny. We are so bad.

She Is So Very Scrumptious!

2010-02-09T22:17:00.001-06:00

Catching Up

2010-01-15T23:45:00.001-06:00

I'm so far behind in life I feel like I can't catch up. Seriously. I'm constantly cleaning the house. How does it get destroyed so quickly? I feel like I'm in a never ending laundry cycle. It just doesn't end. By the time I finally get laundry put away somehow 2 more loads have piled up. How does that happen? The list goes on and on. And ever since I got an iphone I hardly ever take pictures on the real camera. And the few I do have on there I haven't uploaded to the computer in the longest time. I don't know how, and I never think to ask Jason to do it.

Hey Jason, if you're reading this, will you put the pictures on the computer for me? I need them. Thanks.

There. I did it!

So I haven't really seen any pictures we took at Christmas because they're all still on the camera. Hopefully we got some good ones! But in the meantime here are a few from the phone. Yet again.

We've started potty training with Presley. She's only gone a few times, but it's a start. The first time I pulled the little pink potty out she sat on it a few minutes later and went shortly after that. I thought it might be an easy process, but I think it was a fluke. It's few and far between when she goes, but at least she's not scared of it!

But apparently she is scared of her dinner. This is has become a nightly thing at our house unless she is eating chicken nuggets. She has gone to bed hungry many a night because she doesn't want to eat. Well, she wants to eat, just not what we're serving. I know I'm not the best cook, but come on! It's not that bad!

Speaking of her, I can't believe how much she's growing up. She's talking all the time and saying the funniest things. The other day in the car Darby was crying too much for her, so she kept saying, "Shhh, that's enough baby. That's enough. Stop crying baby." Too funny. She is the sweetest little thing and she always wants us to hold her and to cuddle. Or to "tuddle" as she says. She doesn't say the "c" sound. One of my favorite things to hear is, "I wanna tuddle." It melts my heart. And I love when she says something is cute. It's "toot."

This picture is toot, too.

Masie is the biggest helper. She's always helping me do something, from cleaning her crumbs off the floor, getting herself dressed, getting boogers from her sisters noses, or changing Presley's diaper.

But only if it's pee pee and only if I'm feeding Darby. It comes in handy. She's the best 4-year-old diaper changer that I know. And boy does she know her bible stories. When we read their little bibles she's always saying, "I already know this story." Or better yet, "Why does everybody keep telling me this story? Everyone tells it to me all the time." Well, excuse us! Apparently she's learning from us, church, and school. And she's remembering. Yay!

How sweet!

Darby is just too cute. She's smiling all the time. And I just can't get enough of her sweet little face and that precious smile.

I'm always wanting to hold her because I think she is our last little baby. I know she'll grow up too fast, and I want to cuddle with her as much as I can right now. I wish I could bottle up the feeling of her in my arms and save it forever. A few weeks ago I said to Jason, "She can't be our last little baby! She just can't!" And he said, "Oh yes she can!"

I think we might be done. And I love all of our toot girls.

A Random Assortment...

2009-12-21T22:30:00.005-06:00

Everyday I tell myself to do something to this blog, and I never do. I think eventually too much time went by and I didn't know where to start! There's too much to catch up on, so I'll just post some pictures of what we've been up to lately. However, I'm much too lazy to go get our camera, so these are just a few from my phone and whatever we already had put on the computer.

Look at this sweet face!! Oh my gosh, she is so pretty

and so very cuddly. I could just eat her up and hold her all day long.

I love this picture!! Could they be any cuter? I think not.

Almost every time I try to take a picture of

Presley with my iphone it's all blurry because she's wiggling

around too much. But look what happened earlier today. Nice!

Daddy and the big girls. Presley lost her pants.

Presley has been doing breathing treatments multiple times

a day. And when we tell her it's time for it she

immediately says, "I play Mommy phone?" She is obsessed.

But this time she fell asleep. Poor girl. I think we didn't let her nap that

day in an effort to get her to sleep before 11. It worked.

They love playing with these beads. Masie was dressing

up with them and making goofy faces for me.

What's her problem...?

This was actually just one of her goofy faces. Not sure

why she's sticking her middle finger up in the process...

We decorated cookies...

We've played with friends!

More dress up

Out at Market Street today to enjoy this beautiful weather.

We've enjoyed many parties with friends these past several weeks! I am so thankful for all of our friends. They make life much sweeter.

The girls sang at their school Christmas program and also at church on Sunday. I have pictures, but of course they're on the camera. They were so very cute.

We also dedicated Darby at church several weeks ago. I'm thankful for a husband who loves the Lord and who is an amazing leader for our family. With his direction we will teach these girls the love of Christ and pray that they receive Him as Savior. What an honor!

Last night we had our Christmas service for church, and it was amazing. I am so thankful for Jesus. He is our Hope, our Peace, and our Joy. He is our Salvation.

Now that that's over, we have Jason all to ourselves for the week. And since we don't have church this coming Sunday he doesn't need to spend time preparing for a sermon. He's not doing anything!! I'm ready to spend time with family and enjoy this Christmas season. And hopefully I'll keep up with this a little better!

The Girls

2009-11-30T11:46:00.004-06:00

I would have a picture of Jason on here, too, but we didn't get a good family one. My yucky face messed up every single picture. For real. But here are a few of our sweet girls. I am so thankful for them, and I love them more than any words could say.

Accessories and Ducks

2009-11-23T09:33:00.005-06:00

The other day while Darby was sleeping Masie decided that she needed to accessorize her sister. Out came the brushes, bracelets, necklaces, bows, etc.

And this is what happened. I wish you could have

seen her brush her hair and be so gentle with her. It was precious!

(Please notice the bracelet on her right arm.)

So cute!

__________________________________________________________

We've had such great weather here recently so we've tried to spend more time outdoors. If only those mosquitos would stay away!! They're so pesky. Anyway, we took the girls to a lake not far from our house to feed some ducks, and they had such a great time.

Love this picture!!

As soon as the ducks saw us coming they swam over.

And it was fun until they swarmed us! Look at poor Presley. I was even getting a little scared... it reminded me of the time my family went to feed ducks when I was little and my brother got attacked.

There were seriously so many. I wish I had a better picture.

When we ran out of bread we quickly headed out before they decided to eat us, too. They were hungry!

A Few Pictures

2009-11-10T22:27:00.005-06:00

I guess it's been a while since I've posted pictures of Darby, so here are a few more:

I LOVE this little face!

Masie has loved this little girl from day one.

Presley, on the other hand, did not.
Look at that face!
She was pretty much like this at first.

Sweet!

Darby had to wear a light thingy wrapped around her for
about 24 hours because of her jaundice. It was so sad!

Presley eventually came around...

And now she loves her. She is SO sweet with her. She loves holding
her hand and kissing her. We just need to work on
understanding what the word "gentle" means.

Daddy and some of the girls.

Presley wanted to join in on the fun, but not too much.
This was as close as she would go.

Sisters!

All the girls.

I'm so glad that Presley loves Darby now. I was worried at first. However, tonight as Masie and Presley continued arguing over who could hold her I was thinking about how it was easier when Presley wanted nothing to do with her! They now fight over her! Why didn't we have twins? Then they wouldn't have to fight. Just kidding. No thanks!

Indian Princess

2009-11-09T20:51:00.002-06:00

Masie came home from school this afternoon talking about how they learned about Indians. I didn't even know they still called them that; aren't they Native Americans? I guess they don't care much about being politically correct with 4-year-olds. Fine by me.

Anyways, she kept talking about their headbands and feathers, so I suggested that we make her a headband with feathers, too. She was so excited and immediately pulled out her craft box and got to crafting. She made a beautiful headband and then decided to dress up as an Indian Princess, because no day is complete without some sort of dress-up and pretend, right? Not only that, but she got her princess wand and started jumping around and shaking it in the air making "Indian noises." She's so funny.

Here's our Indian Princess!

Darby Laine

2009-11-04T16:00:00.000-06:00

Well, we're home and "the baby" finally has a name. Darby was the winner!! It's funny though, because we've been so used to calling her "the baby" for so long now that it still comes out most of the time. When I do remember to call her Darby I get so tickled that she's here and we can really call her something.

It was a close call between Libby and Darby. We didn't decide on her name until yesterday morning, and we knew we needed to just pick one. I knew it was my last chance to use Libby, and since I'd wanted it with all 3 girls it was hard to give up on. But at the same time I didn't know if it was the right name. And Masie really didn't like that name. She thought it was yucky. It was so sweet to hear her ask, "Can my baby sister's name be Darby? I like that name!" How precious! So in the end it won, and I'm okay with Libby not making it again. If I had really wanted it all I had to do was say the word, but I was never sure. Jason said if it would make me feel better we could get a fish and name her Libby. How sweet, right? But no fish for me!

I was feeling okay at the hospital on Monday, but I think I overdid it. I am completely miserable. If I move the wrong way my incision burns like it's on fire. I still can't move around very well, but I know that healing is just around the corner. For the most part I'm trying to sit and stay put, but it's so hard when there's so much to be done around here. Thank goodness my mom is here with us!

So far I have loved our late night feedings. There's something just so special about that time alone with your little baby. But I'll love it even more when I can actually sit up on my own. Right now Jason has to come get me situated, and even then I feel close to tears. And come to think of it, when I was in the hospital with Presley and the nurse pulled out my staples I didn't feel a thing. My incision was numb for months. But this time around I felt her pull out every single one! It hurt so bad, especially those few that got stuck and had to have a little bit extra tugging to get out. Is that normal to feel?

Masie adores her baby sister so much. She is constantly wanting to hug her and hold her and kiss her. It's really sweet. But Presley is a different story. While we were in the hospital she sure didn't want anything to do with her, and not much to do with me, either. But since we've been home she's warmed up a little bit. She even held Darby's hand for a while last night, and she even smiled for a picture this morning!

I really can't believe she's here. She is tiny and precious and cute and squishy and perfect. I love her little sounds, I love her little hair, I love her little hands and mouth... I love everything about her. I can't imagine her not being here.

She's Here!

2009-11-02T08:30:00.007-06:00

I am so excited that she's here!!! She is SO darn cute and precious. Before I forget all the details let me write them out...

It all started yesterday morning before church. I was feeling a little weird down there and I had had a few contractions, so before Jason left for church I jokingly said to him, "I'll try to keep her in there this morning." And he said, "Try to keep her in there until after church at least." Ha ha! Not so much.

So of course Jason left for church before we did, and the girls and I got there at about 8:50ish or so, just in time for the theology class I was taking. By the time we pulled into the parking lot Presley was asleep, and since she had woken up at 5:15ish that morning I decided that she needed at least a little nap to tide her over. So what did I do? I picked her up, slung her over my shoulder, and carried her all the way in. And that was a long walk. At least it was to me, being 9 months pregnant with a 25 lb girl on my shoulder! Anyway, by the time I got to the room Jason came to get the girls from me and take them to their room because I just couldn't walk anymore. I was exhausted! So maybe that helped speed the process along? I don't know.

All through the class I was having contractions, but I didn't really think much of them. I figured they might be Braxton Hicks or something, but I've never had those so I wasn't sure. Conveniently, my doctor was in the class with me so afterward I told him about my

contractions and asked at what point should I go to the hospital. With both Masie and Presley I only had contractions when I was already at the hospital, so I wasn't sure what signs to look for. He told me that I looked fine to him--most women are very uncomfortable by the time they need to head that way. And he said that if I have more than 6-8 in an hours time over a 2 hour period then I need to go. Well, in my head I thought that I had had at least that many during the 1-hour class, but I still figured it was nothing.

So, not much later and then the service started. I told one of my friends that I was sitting with that I just felt like I was going to cry. For no reason! And I remembered that when I was in labor with Presley I cried for no reason, too. I just couldn't stop. Just the hormones I guess. So after a minute or so I had to leave. I headed to the bathroom, and Jennifer and Sharla followed me. We chatted for a few minutes about being in labor and whether or not I was okay, and then Jason poked his head in. He asked if I was alright, if we needed to leave. I told him I was fine, that he could go sit back down. I honestly thought I was just over reacting. Because I tend to do that about things...

A few minutes later I headed back to service to sit by myself in the back. I was just SO uncomfortable. I kept changing between sitting, standing, walking, kneeling... nothing was making it better. And when it got so bad that I was crying I finally texted Jason to tell him that I needed him! I still wasn't sure whether or not we had to go to the hospital, but I felt awful.

And, I guess I forgot to say that at yesterday's service Jason just so happened to have a friend filling in for him. It had been on the schedule for months, back when we thought I might have a c-section last week. Well, that didn't happen, but Sean still came to fill in for Jason. Thank goodness!! Otherwise I don't know what I would have done. God's great timing!!

Anyway, on Jason's way out he grabbed our doctor who took one look at me and said that I definitely didn't look how I did an hour and a half ago. He told us to head to the hospital and that he would meet us there! How convenient was that? So while Jason did a mad dash to get the girls from their classrooms Dr. Rawson called the hospital to tell them to get everything ready for us.

And off we went, with me crying and freaking out the whole way there. I was in so much pain, and I was so scared that my uterus would rupture in the car, but thankfully that didn't happen. By the time we got back there and were ready to go our doctor was already changed and waiting for us! And not much later, at 12:40, our little baby girl made her entrance!

She is SO cute and little and sweet. And she still doesn't have a name. We've narrowed it down to 2, but we can't decide. It's hard work!!!

I'm so glad she came yesterday. For one thing, we had group insurance coverage that started YESTERDAY, so this birth was covered instead of us paying some massive amount to the hospital. Praise God!! What amazing timing. I am so thankful. And also, I was never wild about the idea of scheduling the delivery. I really just wanted it to happen when she was ready to come out, and yesterday was the day! I'm so glad I didn't have to pick the birthday. I really didn't want to do that.

Fun times yesterday morning!

I'll be back soon with a name for this baby girl, but in the meantime look at the cutie pie sleeping right next to me!!

Stroller Derby

2009-10-28T22:03:00.004-05:00

These girls are so funny. Lately they've spent so much time dressing up in whatever they can find while wearing their high heels and carrying their purses and pushing their strollers all over the house. And when they do it they are just too funny. Last night they happened to be wearing their princess pjs.

Here they are with their "special stuff."

Could they be any cuter?
Love them! Look at Masie. She is our little poser.
Posing again...
"Look Presley! Can you pose like this?"
Presley, giving it her best shot. I LOVE this picture. It's too funny!!
I love this sweet face!

It's hard to believe that in just a few days we'll have another little one! Yay! I can't wait to hold that little hairy baby girl.

I Think We Have a Name

2009-10-26T20:22:00.003-05:00

This afternoon we were coloring, and Masie and I had the following conversation:

Me: I need a yellow color now. Can you get one for me please?

Masie: Umm... here's one. It's dark yellow. What's the name of that color?

Me: It's called Goldenrod.

Masie: Oh, Goldenrod. I like that name! Maybe that can be our baby sister's name.

Goldenrod Johnson. How lovely.

2009-10-21T13:22:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting here in the silence of our living room, and it's such a nice sound. The girls are at school, and I've got a few minutes before I need to leave to pick them up.

Jason and I met for lunch today at Chick-fil-A. Yum! That's always a favorite lunch place for me, even when I don't have the kids! We figured it might be our last Wednesday to enjoy a fun lunch date before baby girl gets here, so we had to squeeze it in. I love dates with him.

And tonight we get to have another date! Thanks to the Pratt's for watching our girls for us, and thanks to the WPCC staff for the fabulous Cheesecake Factory gift card they gave to Jason for Boss's Day, tonight will be a fabulous FREE last date for us before the baby comes. We've had a lot of dates lately. We've probably had more in the last few weeks than we've had in the whole last year! I can't wait for tonight!

And in other news, Presley has successfully slept through the night for the last 2 nights! I don't know what's come over her. She usually wakes up a minmum of 3 times a night, and we have to go back in her room to console her. Maybe she's turned a corner and this will be the new normal. That would be so fabulous, and just in time for me to be woken up up multiple times a night by another little girl who will soon make her arrival!

Masie's new room is all painted now, but aside from paint and her bed and her desk that's all that's in there. We need to get her dresser in there and hang things on the wall to spruce it up a little bit. Hopefully in the next day or so it will be all ready. She's really loving having her own room, and I'm very surprised, considering how badly she wanted to share a room with Presley. Hopefully she'll keep loving it!

Well, that's about all that's going on here. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully I'll hear some good news that things are progressing down there!

2009-10-15T14:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Presley's first day of school. I went back and forth for the longest time over whether or not to send her, but we finally decided to just go ahead and do it. I think it will be really good for her. She'll just be going 1 day a week, and I think she'll really have fun. And of course Masie is so excited that Presley will be at the same school as her.

Look how cute she is!

I love her sweet smile!

Sweet sisters!

We all dropped Presley off at her classroom, and of course she fussed and didn't want to go in. But after we dropped Masie off at school we peeked in at Presley and she was already having fun with the other kids. I think she really had a good time!

So now I'll have just a few quiet Wednesdays until the baby gets here, and then my Wednesdays will be full again, this time with a cuddly little baby girl. And speaking of the baby, my doctor is leaving town tomorrow and he won't be back until late next Wednesday, so I'd better not go into labor between now and then!

And she still needs a name!

Time For an Update

2009-10-09T23:04:00.004-05:00

--We're in CS right now. We just came for a quick last minute trip. One reason we came was to go see our nephew play a soccer game tomorrow morning. However, the game is canceled since it rained all day long. So no game in the morning, but I did get to catch up with an old friend today (I had fun Kim!) and hopefully with another one tomorrow. It's always nice coming home!

--Just a few more weeks until the baby comes! I can't believe it. November 2 is the scheduled day, but we're hoping it will happen early. I'm not fully prepared for her to come yet because I feel like there's so much left to do, but I'm so ready to get her out of me and to hold and kiss her. I can't wait!!!

--Baby girl still needs a name...

--I keep having dreams that my water breaks while I'm out. Last night my dream was that I was out of town by myself and it broke, so I had to drive a few hours by myself to the hospital. That wouldn't be fun if it happened in real life.

--We've given up on having the girls share a room. It's just too hard. Some days it seems like it will work, but those are few and far between. We're hoping it will work when they're older. They just wake each other up several times a night, and then they come and wake us up in the process. I would give anything for a full night's sleep!!! So I think tomorrow we'll try them out in separate rooms. We'll see how it goes. But who knows? They may be back in the same room in a few weeks.

--Have I mentioned lately how much I love WPCC? I am so thankful for the community we have there. And I am so excited for Sunday and Serve Our City. It's going to be so much fun. I hope Presley will do okay without a nap that day!!

--I haven't printed pictures since December of 2007. Well, maybe I've printed like 5 just for frames, but that's it. I've been slowly going through all of them picking out certain ones to print for albums. I just spent almost 2 hours doing it, and I thought I was done... but then Jason showed me another folder on his computer that had more hidden in it. I think I still have a few hours work ahead of me. And I'm determined to get this done before baby girl comes. I need to catch up!

--It's been so much fun looking through all of our old pictures. I hadn't seen most of them in so long, and it was almost as if I'd forgotten how stinkin' cute and small they used to be!! What fun memories. I can't wait to see what sister #3 looks like.

--I'm exhausted. It's time for bed!

More Birthday Stuff!

2009-10-04T18:41:00.004-05:00

(I can't move any pictures around and it's driving me CRAZY! Is anyone else having this problem? They're all out of order and I can't stand it!!)

We had our families over yesterday to celebrate the girls' birthdays. What a fun time! It's been a long time since there were so many of us together.

We had lots of fun with the bubble machine!

Masie had fun playing with her new guitar from Uncle Taylor. She's barely put it down since then!

Sweet face! It's hard to get her to smile for a picture.

Masie was SO excited for this guitar. She talked about it for the longest time before she even got it.

Pouty girl. Never wants her picture taken...

Thank you all for coming to celebrate and make our girls feel so special! We all love you so much!

2009-10-01T00:55:00.000-05:00

Our baby girl is 2 today!
I can't believe that 2 years ago my water broke while we were at the mall-- that was fun!-- and then a few short hours later Presley came into the world.

Presley has brought so much joy and happiness into our family, and we can't imagine life without her. She is the silliest little girl, always cracking us up. She is sweet and loving and loves to give kisses and hugs to us, especially to Masie. She is kind and caring and so happy (most of the time). I can't believe what a precious big girl she is growing up to be. I can't believe our baby is 2!!

It's so precious to see how much she adores her big sister, and I can't wait to see how much she adores her little sister, too. I know she will be an amazing older sister to this (nameless) baby. We are so thankful for this precious gift that God has given to our family, and we can't wait to see who she becomes.

Happy birthday sweet girl!!! We love you!

Random Stuff

2009-09-18T22:09:00.000-05:00

--Masie finally started school last week! She started on Monday, which was also her birthday. She was so excited to take cupcakes to school and to have such a special first day of school. I hope she enjoys this school year! I'm debating putting Presley in one day a week for now. I know she would love it so much, and with the baby coming soon it would be nice.

First day of school! I think Presley really wanted to stay, too.

--Speaking of baby, I'm so excited to meet this little girl! I can't believe in only about 6 more weeks or so we'll finally be able to hold her. I love her like crazy and pray for her daily. I can't wait to have her in our arms. She will be such a loved little sister. Masie asks us every day when her little sister will be here. She's so excited. Now if we could only figure out a name...

--The girls are still sharing a room, and things are going well... sometimes. Some nights they get out of bed and their room a dozen times, but other nights are much easier. In fact, one night they only got out once! That was amazing. It's really fun to see them reading books in bed together and having secret fun when they should be sleeping. I hope they enjoy sharing a room for a long time!

--I did it. I just joined facebook. I swore I never would. But after reading Jason's for a few weeks I decided that it was fun to see what other people were doing. Just like a blog, right? I don't know that I'll comment much, or update my wall, or whatever it is, but I decided to give it a try. We'll see how it works! It's all a little confusing to me, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Birthday Girl

2009-09-14T13:15:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that our big girl is 4 years old today! It seems like not so long ago when she was a tiny bundle in our arms.

That little baby has grown into such a beautiful and precious girl. I love her more than I ever imagined I could, and more than words can express. Everyday I am overwhelmed by her love, her laughs, her imagination, her caring heart, her beauty. And let's be real... I'm also overwhelmed by her crying fits and times of disobedience... but that all pales in comparison to the amazing joy she is in our lives. She is an absolutely incredible big sister to Presley, and I'm so excited that she gets to be a big sister all over again. She's so happy for this baby sister on the way.

Look at that beautiful smile!

I am so thankful that God has blessed us with this sweet little princess in our lives, and I can't wait to see the beautiful young lady that she will grow up to be!

Happy birthday Masie! You are such a treasure to us. We love you so much!

Big Girl Bed

2009-09-07T21:02:00.003-05:00

Friday night was Presley's first time in her big girl bed!

Here they are in their PINK room. Look how cute and small she is! I don't know if you can see it, but look at the cute expression on her face. Its precious.

Masie has been looking forward to this day for SO long. She has been begging to share a room with Presley for months now, so she was thrilled when we finally set up Presley's bed.

Daddy read some Bible stories to them before we left the room while I took a million pictures.

Look how happy she is!

They eventually ended up in the same bed for a while reading together. Isn't that cute?

We hoped it would be an easy transition for Presley. Masie was the same age when we put her in a bed and she did great. She didn't once cry or try to get out of her bed. She was so happy and just fine to be in a different bed, and in a different room for that matter!

Not so much for Presley. She cried, she wailed, so moaned. She got out of the bed so many times and came looking for us. We layed down with her several times to get her to sleep in there. Masie was out cold for well over 2 hours by the time Presley finally fell asleep--and that was with Jason in her bed with her. He fell asleep before she did!

She finally passed out and resumed her usual sleeping position: hiney in the air. I LOVE this.

We decided on Saturday night not to do that whole thing again. We don't want her to think we'll lay in her bed with her every night until she falls asleep.

So we skipped the whole thing that night, but we tried it again last night. It lasted 30 minutes until we moved her to the crib.

Tonight we decided to try it again. So far they've been playing for over an hour, with Presley only moaning once slightly and coming down twice. But as I type this she's coming down for the third time.

It's pretty fun to hear them giggling and talking having so much fun. They're up there sharing books and having the best time.

I'm not sure what to do next. Will they eventually just fall asleep? Do we let them play and have fun until they conk out on their own? What if it's 11:00 or something? Do we make them stay quiet? Any input would be much appreciated.

I personally don't think it will ever work, and I'd be fine with them having their own rooms. But Masie would be so devastated if they couldn't share. And in fact, she's upset that they have their own beds! She wants them to sleep in a bed together.

Anyway, I hope they learn to share a room soon. I'm sure they'll love it once they get the hang of it! Hopefully it won't be as bad as it was when my sister and I shared a room. I was in kindregarten and she was in 5th grade. I have memories of drawing a line down the middle of the room with tape so we'd stay on our own sides.... I'm sure they'll do much better than that!

To Join Or Not To Join?

2009-09-03T16:30:00.001-05:00

That is the question.

Facebook. I don't do Facebook. I just don't get it. But then again, I thought blogging was ridiculous before I actually read some and got hooked on it. And then I had to do it because it was so fun. And now I enjoy it. So maybe I'm way wrong about Facebook. I'm sure I am. I'll probably be eating my words in a few weeks.

I think I'm one of the last people on earth to not do it. Seriously. Parents are on it, grandparents are on it. And, Jessica, does your dog have an account or is there a real Barry Richey out there? Next thing I know, Masie and Presley will be doing it. I need to keep up!

But really... I don't know. Jason decided to officially start doing it. Although he's had an account for a while he hasn't really actively used it. I think the peer pressure got to him. :) Ha ha. Anyways, I was just on his account looking around, and I seriously don't get it. I don't understand what you do. Ask people to be friends? And then make comments? And read what everyone says? And what's with the wall? I'm going to keep track of stuff on his for a while and see what the whole deal is about, and if it's as fun and great as people say then maybe I'll join up.... maybe. But in the meantime, if you see Jason asking to be your friend, it's probably me, if I can even figure out how to do that. So please don't say no. I don't know if I can handle the rejection.

I do know that it's a good way to stay connected to my current friends and to get back in touch with old ones. We'll see. Maybe I'll be there sooner rather than later, so long as it doesn't take up hours of my days like so many people tell me.

And you know what's funnier than Jason doing Facebook? He's twittering now, too. (You can find him at _jasonjohnson) Don't even get me started on twitter. I REALLY don't get that. But I'm sure I'll jump on that bandwagon in due time, too.

Before and After

2009-08-30T16:30:00.001-05:00

I LOVE our new floors! Jason worked so hard. He ripped out all of the carpet on a Monday night and then worked hard for the next 3 days. By mid-Thursday they were all finished!

Aren't they pretty?

(By the way, that's another shot of Presley playing the Leapster.)

He still has to put in the trim, but that shouldn't take long. Hopefully that will be finished in the next week or so. Poor Jason.

And see our pretty coffee table? Jason took it from this:

He ripped apart an old desk we had laying around.

And he made this:

Isn't it pretty? Isn't he handy?

I LOVE it.

Now all we need is a rug, which is turning out to be much harder to find than we anticipated. Hopefully we'll figure something out soon.

I'm so thankful for Jason who loves projects and doing things himself. He's so handy and he's such a hard worker! Fortunately for him we have about a dozen more projects to do in the near future.

But in the meantime I'm still loving our new house... wallpaper and all!

Leapster

2009-08-26T08:45:00.003-05:00

Presley loves this Leapster. It's actually Masie's, but she wants nothing to do with it. Presley lounges all over the house playing this thing. Here's some pictures of just a few places we've seen her playing with it lately.

Flat on her back in the play room. She was like this for the longest time
before church on Sunday.

Flat on her back on the couch. I love the way her legs dangle off the edge.

Playing with Daddy. I love how her leg is hiked up.

She loves this thing! I'm so glad Masie is so eager to share it with her.

We're Moving!

2009-08-25T21:50:00.002-05:00

After more than a year of our church meeting at Mitchell Intermediate School, we are so excited to have the opportunity to move to The Woodlands High School! This Sunday will be our first service there, and we are thrilled!

I LOVE our church. I love the people there, and I love the community that has formed among everyone. I love our small group. I love the teaching on Sunday mornings... and the guy doing the teaching, too! I love the music. I love the atmosphere and the experience of Sundays. I love serving and learning and growing and getting equipped. I love spending time with so many godly women, and I am thankful for their friendships. I am SO thankful for this church and for the opportunity for our family to be a part of something like this.

It's been an incredible year at Woodlands Point and we are eager to see what God has in store for us as we move forward.

We'd love to see you there on Sunday morning!

2009-08-19T13:42:00.000-05:00

The girls and I are in College Station for a few days staying with my parents... while Jason is back at home putting in wood floors!!!

I am so happy to be getting rid of that carpet. It's no fun living on carpet someone else lived on, especially when you pull it up--or when your husband pulls it up!-- and see all the dirt underneath. Yuck!

So of course I forgot to take a picture of the before, but here's the room with just the lovely blue padding.

I'm not sure we'll be gone long enough for the floors to be completely finished by the time we get back, but hopefully soon after it will be done. Poor Jason is doing it all by himself. He likes projects, and he likes a challenge. I'm sure he'll enjoy it... for the most part.

Anyways, after we--I mean Jason--ripped up the carpet and cleaned up the floors we got some markers out and the girls got busy drawing some pictures in the living room.

(I'm on my parent's computer and for some reason it won't let me move these pictures around. It's driving me absolutely crazy that I can't put these pictures in the right order, but oh well.)

Daddy drawing with the girls Messy hands!

Masie's masterpiece! That's a picture of the 5 of us standing on grass next to our house underneath a beautiful rainbow.

So after this living room is finished we'll have about 4 projects done and about a dozen left to do. I have a feeling we'll never get to those bathrooms!!!

That's all for now! The house is quiet except for my typing, so I'm going to the sun room to curl up with a good book and a Dr. Pepper. Hopefully soon I can't post some after pictures of all of Jason's hard work.

Could They Be Any Cuter?

2009-08-08T22:13:00.001-05:00

Bye-Bye Hair!

2009-08-03T15:33:00.001-05:00

The big day has come and gone... we went to Sweet and Sassy to get the girls some haircuts!

Here are a few before photos:

Masie hopped right in to her chair. She was so excited.

Presley, on the other hand, was not excited.

But once she was sitting in my lap she seemed much better. No crying, but no more tears, either.

She was totally in a daze watching a movie.

And after! Their hair looks so much cleaner and thicker now.

And here they are outside the store proudly showing us their lollipops.

All in all, Presley did much better than Masie did during her first haircut. That was too funny. As for Presley's hair, I think all her curls will be gone the next time she gets it cut, and there's not much left there now as it is. Maybe I won't ever cut it again...

And Masie LOVES her new hair. I think she's most excited about the fact that it doesn't get caught in her armpit anymore. That was highly annoying for her.

So let's see... no more rat tail and no more armpit hair. Sounds great to me!

Happenings in Our House

2009-07-27T23:10:00.000-05:00

Everyday I sit down at the computer and think to myself that I want to blog, and for some reason I just don't. I read other blogs, but I can't seem to write on this one. But tonight is the night! The girls are both asleep and Jason is out with the guys. While there's still so much to do around the house, there's not much that I can do right now.

Jason is working on re-doing the built-ins in the living room. I'm not a fan of built-ins. I don't like shelves in general, bur that's just because I never know what to do with them. I'm the worst at that. Other people can fix them up great and they can look fabulous, but I'm not good at arranging things like that. It always just ends up looking cluttered to me. And to us, less is more.

Anyways, the part he's re-doing is not the decorating part. I'm so sure. He ripped out that curvy molding at the top:

And he made it just straight lines. It looks much better now. I think when he gets home tonight he will put the last coat of paint on and it will be done!!! Everything feels so out of place right now. I'm very ready for things to get put in order in this room.

The girls' rooms are finished, except for a few small details. Pictures will come soon! Jason said he wants to take a painting break after this, but we'll see how long that lasts. We still have 3 rooms and the bathrooms to paint. And let's be real. Those bathrooms need some serious work.

Anyway, here are some new pictures of the girls.

We attempted to make some sugar cookies and decorate them today. We've never made sugar cookies before... am I a bad mom? I think I might be. We couldn't even use the cookie cutters to make cute shapes because the dough was so sticky and gross. So we just clumped them on the foil and that was that. I need help. But aren't they too cute in their aprons that are way too big?

It looks a little like they're posing for a prom picture.

I've finally given in and agreed with Jason that Presley needs a hair cut. I've known this for a while, but I didn't want to admit it. There's just something about that first haircut that's so hard to do! She's almost 22 months now, and that tail needs to go.

Here it is just after her bath. See that little tail?

And when I brush it look how long it is.

After it's dried a little you can really see that rat tail hanging down.

Other than that little tail she has great hair! It's got a cute little curl to it and it has so much body. I wish I had hair like that!

In a few days that little tail it will be gone... Maybe it will go back to the 80's where it belongs. But in the meantime it makes for a great ponytail!

And some of Masie. Here she is with her posse hanging out on the couch.

And sometimes they even go to bed with her. She doesn't really like to spend time alone. Isn't that sweet how she gives them the pillow? She's so giving.

And one more. These sweet sisters make my heart melt. They love hugging. I can't believe that soon there will be a third sister! Still no name yet...

That's all for now! I'll post more pictures of the house soon... wait, didn't I say that last time I blogged? But I really will this time.