I Am At A Loss...

because I cannot get my mind wrapped around this situation. All I can do is request that prayers are offered up to comfort this family...



I received this prayer request e-mail from a good friend of mine. I had heard about this tragedy on the news, but never expected to have such a connection to the story. I cannot even begin to comprehend the pain that the family is feeling.

~~~

Hello Dear Friends,

I come to you this evening to ask for a very special prayer request. I called a very dear friend of mine today and she sounded quite upset and couldn't talk. I finally spoke to her this evening and she told me a tragically sad story that is almost unbearable. One of her very best friend’s had not heard from her own daughter, so she went to her daughter’s house yesterday and walked in to find her two grandchildren horrifically murdered and ran out, her husband went in and found her daughter, let’s just say horribly murdered also.

I feel soooo much emotion and pain for this woman I don’t know, but I am a mother. Pleeease, pass this on and ask for a pouring out of the Lord’s spirit to her for comfort and the strength to make through what must be the most difficult thing a mother could go through. She has questioned where God was when this was happening, which I think is normal. But, I pray in time, she will know that as my friend told her, He was there with them.

I don’t know what else to say, though I feel so compelled to say more...just please pray and let’s see what a “huge” prayer chain we can have for this mother and tragedy.

And, if I may add, that the Lord’s justice will prevail.

Thank you for your prayers,

S

~~~

Here is the link to the news story about the situation...



The news is reporting that the boyfriend has been arrested and charged with these horrific crimes.

I'm Going To The Park With Papa Ron!

This is the phrase that my 4-year old has been shouting from the roof tops since earlier this morning. My wonderful father-in-law asked if he could take Kyla to one of her favorite parks where the two of them could spend some fun time together.

As soon as he asked her out, she jumped out of bed and started getting ready. Less than 1/2 hour later, her bag was packed and waiting out front with her car seat & umbrella stroller. Then she spent the rest of the time making a picture of the two of them together, enjoying their day at the park. That was her special version of a Thank You note.

When he walked in the door, there were two very happy little girls. He sat down and held Bryleigh while he explained to her that she was too young to go with them, but that he could not wait until next year...



After some hugs and kisses, Bryleigh and I walked them to the car & waved good-bye.



Now Bryleigh & I can have some special time together. Can you belive that she is now 6 months old! At her doctor's appointment on the 12th, she weighed 16 lbs 8 ozs and was 26 1/4 inches long. My baby girl is growing up...and fast! Does anyone know where the pause button on a baby is located?

So...

how was your Mother's Day? Mine was great. I feel like we celebrated all weekend long. It started on Friday with a Mother's Day Tea at Kyla's Preschool. She was so excited to go to school. Not only did she get to wear "dressy" clothes, but she also knew that Mommy was going to spend the day with her.



She tried really hard to convince me to open the many gifts that she had made...the very same gifts that the teacher and her had to hide from me each time I picked her up from school in the days leading up to the Tea.



My niece, Kaleigh, was really proud of the gifts she made for her mommy.



And it was so nice that my sister could take a late lunch and enjoy this special time with KK.



And after countless shots, Kristie was finally able to take a good one of Kyla & I...even if it is a little off center...Just kidding Kris! :0)



I spent most of Saturday training for my new "work from home" job...but I was still able to squeeze in some great female bonding with my girls. We went shopping and had dinner out...Ladies Only!

On Sunday, my Baby Pumpkins and I picked up my father-in-law. The four of us went out for a nice breakfast. It was so nice to spend some time with him. He is such a wonderful man. My wonderful father-in-law is the greatest Mom Mom & Pa Pa...all rolled into one! Not only is he a grandpa for my girls, but he is also making sure to fulfill the hopes and dreams that my late mother-in-law had about being a grandmother. She unfortunately lost her fight with breast cancer before any of her children were able to give her the grandchildren she so dearly wanted. I know that she would be so proud of all of her beautiful granddaughters...all five of them! And she would also be so proud of her husband. How lucky and I that his son is just like him!

After breakfast, we headed to the airport to pick Brad up. He was out of town on a business trip, but made sure that he was home for my special day.

When we finally made it back home, the rest of my family came over for a cook out. We had grilled beef tenderloin, blue cheese potato salad, tomato & basil salad, and a wonderful white chocolate mousse. Everything was so yummy! The tomato & basil salad was so pretty that I had to take a picture...



I will try and post the recipes for the blue cheese potato salad and the white chocolate mousse in another post. Both of those dishes were devoured before I had the chance to take pictures!

Then we opened gifts. Kyla was so excited that she was wiggling like a puppy!



She made this rose all by herself. It was painted her favorite color...pink...and then she cut and glued it together. The flower even smelled like the real thing.



And this is my handcrafted Kyla Card. Again, she cut and glued everything by herself...even wrote a little special something inside...just for me. Very impressive...



This little treasure is her sweet little hand print. Not sure what I am going to do with it since the gift is too pretty to use as a stepping stone. Might have to find a plate holder and display it in my "new" work-from-home office! (Once I actually create one...right now I am set up in the eat-in-kitchen area...very messy.)

They made up a cute certificate. Not sure if you can read it, but she says that the reason she loves me is because I am a princess and like to eat apples! She knows me so well... :0)



This was a questionnaire that she had to answer. You will get a laugh out of some of her answers...and she was "technically" correct with all of her answers...even if I didn't like the way it came out.

When asked how old I was, she replied, "bigger than KK's mommy". Now KK is my niece and her mommy is my "older" sister....so that statement took me by surprise...then I looked at it from her point of view. When you are a child, all of the older kids are taller than you. So, because I am taller than my sister, in her mind, I am older than her too. And I also have her trained well about reveling a woman's age...that is a big "no no" in my house!

She was also asked what my favorite thing to do is...and her reply was "laundry and cooking"! How hysterical is that!!! I think she overheard me joking around with Brad about how much I "enjoy" spending my days cooking and washing all the loads of dirty laundry!



And how cute are these cards. Each of my precious angel babies gave me a card that made me laugh at the front and cry from the inside. I just love having girls! It is like I will never have to completely grow up!



My thoughtful husband gave me one of the best gifts that he has ever come up with. I had asked for some "practical" gifts...an child's seat for my bike, so Bryleigh and I can ride together when we take Kyla to school in August...or the outdoor living furniture that I want for the courtyard that we are going to be completing. Instead of those...he gave me the gift of his time. My "work-a-holic" husband purchased a purse-sized calendar and made the promise that at the beginning of each month, the two of us will sit down together and plan two date nights, as well as 6 days where he will come home "early" from work. All I can say is that he was really listening all those times that I told him that his time was more valuable to me than a huge bank account! Can I love this man any more than I already do?!?!?



Now this last picture is why I love being a mom. My two girls are so very precious to me. The sight of their smiling faces each morning is a joy to me...and their melodious laughter is a treasure that I keep in my heart. How very lucky I am that God blessed me with these two babies to love and lead.

I think there needs to be a National Holiday to celebrate our children, don't you?

(Wish that I could claim authorship for this lovely bit of wisdom, but alas, I am not this talented...)

This is for all the mothers, who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up puke laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's okay honey, Mommy's here". Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers, who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for all the mothers, who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. And the mothers that will have to wait to see their babies in Heaven.

This is for all the mothers, whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football , hockey or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers, who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers, who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers, who go hungry, so their children can eat. For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers, who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers, who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for all the mothers, whose heads turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home – Or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers, who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up Right away.

This is for all the mothers, whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers, who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway?

Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes late at night when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us.

Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can.

Tell them every day that we love them. And pray.

"Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."

I Love Playing Tag! Don't You?

It was one of my most favorite games when I was little! Guess it still is 'cause I am pretty excited to be tagged again! This time, thanks to I Love Your While Face , I get to list six, count them 6, quirky things about myself. It's really going to be hard only listing six!

(1) I am naturally a very shy person...except no one believes me. I remember sitting in Science class in the 9th grade. It was right after Christmas Break, and I was sad because I was too shy to meet people. So, I made a vow to myself, right in the middle of mixing the assigned formula, I would hide my true, shy nature and force myself to becoming an outgoing person. I joined Student Government, Drama, Peer Counseling, and a bunch of other Service Clubs, as well as signed up to become an Student Athletic Trainer. It was the best thing I ever did. I became friends with just about everyone.



(2) I have no solid bone structure left in my right pinky toe. Have stubbed and busted that poor piggy so much it just flops to the side. My doctor wants to perform surgery to try and fix it. I just don't see the need. I am just going to bust it again!



(3) I love going to psychics! Went to my first one after a bad break-up. She predicted that I would marry the next guy I met. We will be happily married for 10 years in October. The last time I went to a psychic, she told me about the hard time that I had during delivery of my first child. She also said that I would have a second child and more trouble. It came true. Not sure if I can handle going to another one...



(4) I have Middle Child Syndrome. My parents do everything for my older sister and coddle my baby sister...she disagrees. I have to be the responsible one and take care of everyone. Just call me Julie The Cruise Director. Married another Middle Child! The two of us will be taking care of everyone for the rest of our lives! But my baby sister will disagree again.



(5) Before college, I wanted to be a Chef. Loved cooking. After a bad experience with an ex, I swore off cooking. Brad & I dated a year and were newly engaged before he learned the truth. He asked my parents why my mother was such a wonderful cook and that the best thing I made was reservations. My beloved parents "threw me under the bus" Now I cook and bake all the time!



(6) I am in deep denial about my nomophobia issues. My baby sister is trying to stage an intervention. She says that I cannot be in a car without a cell phone on my ear.



She also says that I cannot stay away from blogging...



Guess she is right. This is my second post for the day and two more that I want to work on...

Does the Betty have Wi-Fi?



OK...so now you have a little more insight into my quirky nature. Anyone else want to play?

That "Thing" That Went Thump In The Night...

I was fast asleep the other night, dreaming about the future when I will actually get 6 uninterrupted hours of sleep. A slight bumping, thumping type sound in the bedroom woke me up. Brad was out of town and I figured that Bry was restless in her pack n'play beside the bed...but she was still sound asleep.



The bedroom door was closed...so I went back to sleep...probably just one of the cats playing with a catnip toy.

This is what I woke up the next morning. What a sight!







I have long suspected that she is walking in her sleep. Guess this proves it.

So last night, I stayed up most of the night making sure that she stayed in her bed. What a sweet, sleeping angel...

More On Baby Mateo - He's Doing Great!

Just want to provide another update. Baby Mateo had his second surgery this week and all appears to be going well. He is suppose to have at least one more surgery in 6 months. It is my understanding that the surgeries are going to correct a problem with the heart so more oxygen will get to where it is needed in the body. Apparently, the surgeries will also help the problem valve increase to the appropriate size.

Please keep praying for Mateo and his parents.

God answers prayers but we have to ask for his help.

Another Preppy Swap - I am So doing it!

Here is a link to the Preppy Summer Swap Information that I Love Your Whole Face! is hosting. And in case you want to sign up, the deadline is this Friday, May 9th.

Similar to Connecticut Charm's Preppy Spring Swap, I have to find six items that are Preppy, summer-y, and fun. Each item has to start with the first letter of one of the letters in S.U.M.M.E.R. And the $20 budget is still the same.

This should keep me busy for a couple of days. Preschool Graduation is next week and regular schools will be taking summer break soon. I will have a houseful of kids to enjoy and keep me busy until late August!

Baby Mateo Update

Thanks to everyone for the prayers, warm thoughts, and inquiries about Baby Mateo and his parents. I just received this update...

~~~

Mateo Douglas was born last Tuesday evening. He had a slight defect in his
heart. Doctors performed one surgery Wednesday and plan to perform
another surgery this week. His weight is good and further testing indicates
everything else about the baby is just fine. His mother was released from
the hospital late last week and she can be with her baby.



On behalf of Mateo and his parents, I ask that you continue praying for
them. We know God answers prayers.

Urgent Prayer Request

In my "BB" (Before Blog) days, I would have sent out an e-mail to all of my e-mail friends. Now that I am firmly entrenched in the Blogging World, I am going to try sending a Prayer Request via post.

If you are able to say a prayer(s) for this family, it would be greatly appreciated. If you would prefer not to pray, then have some good thoughts and strong wishes for them.

~~~

I received this prayer request from my father. As a mom of a relatively "new" baby, my heart is going out to this mom. I cannot imagine being in one hospital while my newborn baby is in another one fighting for his life!

~~~


Please pray for the newborn son of a young couple from our church. His name
is Mateo (sp) and his parents' names are Mel and Tanya. Shortly
after his birth this morning, a heart problem was detected and he was rushed
to another hospital for surgery. He was born 8 lb 1 oz.

This is all the information I have at this time. Please pray for baby Mateo
and his parents. It must be very difficult for the child and his parents.
The mother is in one hospital her child in another. The father is torn
between two hospitals and two people he loves.

Again, please pray for them.

We know our God is all powerful and we need to ask for his healing hand on
this child.

Jan

~~~

This e-mail was sent out two days ago. The most recent update I have is that the mom is recovering in the delivery hospital and will hopefully be released soon to join her husband at their son's bedside. Her room has been filled with friends and church members who are helping with her comfort and recovery while her husband has been with their baby.

The heart problem with the baby involves one of the valves. It is apparently too small and deformed. Surgery was immediately preformed to repair / replace it. I am still waiting for an update on his status.

Sorry that it has been a couple days since my last post,

but there have been some new developments in regards to my precocious preschooler and her "fiance". Thought I might catch all of you up on the details.

1) The husband finally came to his senses and had a talk not only with our darling daughter, but also with our nephew. He told Mikey that as the only boy in a family full of girls, he had to take more responsibility in regards to his friends and what their intentions were towards his sisters and cousins. And because he was lucky enough to be blessed with some really cute female relatives, he would also learn that some boys will want to be his friend just so that they can have introductions.



They decided that Mikey needed to make sure that his friends knew that it was not "cool" for them to date his sisters or cousins. Plus, the two oldest girls would be heading off to elementary school with him in the fall, so he also needed to take care and watch over them at school.



During the whole conversation, Mikey just stared at him with wide eyes, shaking his head and saying "Yes, Sir."

2) The "talks" must have worked because the next day at the bus stop, Mikey pulled So&So aside and told him that he was not allowed to kiss Kyla any more. Later that afternoon, Kyla also told him that she was not allowed to kiss him. That her hugs and kisses were only for her daddy, mommy, sister, mom mom, papas, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was too young for a boyfriend and needed to enjoy life.

After that, all the kids played really well together...but there was still some unspoken "kiddie crush" tension in the air.

3) Sunday afternoon, we had another beautiful day in Sunny, FL. We loaded up the vehicles and headed to the beach for a couple hours of fun. Mike asked if he could bring his BFF and since all was understood, the approval was granted. Well, when Kyla heard that So&So was joining us, she was beside herself with excitement. She begged and pleaded with me to let her ride in the same car as the boys. She wanted to sit beside her boyfriend! Guess where she got to ride?!?! I'll give you one guess...in my car where I could keep a close eye on my little raggin' hormone girl! She cried and cried, telling me what an awful mommy I was. That because of me, she would never be able to marry him! Poor Baby Girl!

At the beach, all went well for the most part. The boys played with their action figurines...



while the girls built sand castles...



Every once in a while, the two star-crossed lovers would cast longing glances at each other, then look quickly away. The two of them just seemed so sad...





I was starting to feel pretty mean until a group of 4 or 5 high school boys walked by. My sweet precious Princess Pumpkin Pie dropped her sand bucket, straightened her flowery bikini, flashed her brightest smile, and said "Hi boys!"



Does anyone have the name of a good convent in the mountains?

What's A Mom To Do?

On the way to Yoga class, I dropped my girls off at the P's house. My oldest daughter asked to play outside with her cousins and a neighbor boy who is the same age as my nephew, which is around 7 year old. The young boy is really very nice and helpful. He plays with the younger children and makes sure that they are not getting into trouble...or so I thought.

As I walk out the front door after leaving my youngest inside with her grandfather, my niece and nephew come running up to me chanting...

"Kyla and So&So were making out!"

WHAT?!?!?!?

"Kyla and So&So were making out!"

As I pick myself off the ground and try to perform chest compressions on myself to restart my heart, I look over at my angelic little 4 1/2 year old. She is sitting beside So&So, holding his hand!

I calmly walk over to them, tell her to go inside with her younger sister and grandfather, and tell So&So that he should probably go home because I am sure that his mother is getting ready to serve dinner.

That is when my precious baby girl tries to kill me again by saying...

"I love So&So and he loves me. We are going together and plan on getting married!"

Needless to say, I was a little late to class...and I really needed the stress relief after this!

And do you want to know what my husband said to me when I called about the problem?

"At least she likes boys. Remember she told us a few months ago that she loved the new little girl in her preschool class."

I could have smacked him! This is all his fault! He is the walking, talking hormone! And my Pumpkin Ky is just like him!



Do you think it's too early to send her to an All-Girl Boarding School?

Tag...I'm It...

The thanks goes to Mad About Plaid Girl who tagged me. Now I am suppose to write five random things about myself...Only five? Too many random things to choose from! Not sure if I can take the pressure this late at night. Let me take another sip of my yummy Greek tea and collect my random thoughts...

(1) I hate tomatoes. Hate the taste and texture, but love the smell of fresh grown tomatoes on the vine. How weird is that?!?! But when I was pregnant with my daughters, I ate tomatoes like crazy. After the hormones settled down again, back to hating them.

(2) Have to glance in and around the toilet before I use it...even at home. I am afraid that a snake will be there, ready to strike me on my lily-white bottom...or a deadly spider under the seat that will kill me in days because of it deadly toxin! Those Urban Legends have really got me messed up!

(3) One of my favorite toys when I was a preschooler was a rubber alligator that squeaked. Because of that, I decided to become a Florida Gator! When I was in high school, I would have Florida Gator Week and wear nothing but Orange & Blue outfits. Loved the Gators so much that I told my high school boyfriend that I would break up with him if he didn't accept the football scholarship to UF. He went, played, and graduated...and I had a blast hanging out with the team. (And get your minds out of the gutter...I was and still am a "good" girl)

(4) Driving relaxes me. From the day I earned my license, I have taken drives to calm down and / or de-stress. I usually volunteer to drive whenever I go out with friends or family...and even make my husband ride shotgun. That drives him nuts! Cannot take random drives anymore because of the horrible cost of gas right now...so I have to think of another way to relax myself.

(5) I cannot take a shower without cleaning it. I am usually scrubbing down the walls while I shampoo and condition my hair. Then I spray down the glass enclosure before I step out. It just seems so much easier to clean it while I am cleaning myself.

O.K. Did I pick some good "random" things about me? Do you think I am a complete nut job?

OK...now it is my turn to tag some other bloggers that I "stalk" on a regular basis.

My Favorite Oppolds

My Favorite Gozdieskis

The Adventures of Maverick & The Mrs

The Preppy Lizard

And I am also going to tag my dear friend, Susan, who lives in Scotland. She doesn't blog (yet), but she reads my blog all the time. We have been friends for so many years that I've lost count. Love you! This should give you something fun to do at work! Hug Russ & Cara for me.

Have fun ladies!

Guess What I Got!

My surprises from my Preppy Spring Swap Partner. Yeah!

Here is my huge box of goodies...I could not wait to open it up.



She sent a note detailing what everything is and even used one of the note cards that I sent with her gift.



S - Spring Scents



They smell wonderful!

P - Preppy Printed Box



How in the world did my Swap Buddy know that Chocolate Brown and Pink are two of my favorite colors!

R - Refreshing Treats



A package of Greek Tea and it smells so delicious! As I am writing this post...guess what I am drinking?!?! It tastes yummy too! Thanks again! I am going to have to find out where I can order more of this stuff! I love tea and usually have a cup (or two or three) every day.



And then there is this luscious looking bar of hazelnut chocolate...also from Greece. Now I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of fine chocolate, but I do have to admit that this will be the first time that I have ever had the pleasure of trying Greek Chocolate. Will have to post later about my first taste.

I - Ice Pop Maker



The kids and I are going to have so much fun making Popsicles this summer. You know it's Spring Time in Sunny, Florida when the ice cream man starts trolling the neighborhood. And with this star-shaped Popsicle maker, we can avoid going anywhere near that scary-looking dude! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

N - Note Cards



How cute are these note cards! I love the Cherry Blossoms on them. Pink and pale spring green is also a favorite color combination of mine. Will have to write a thank you note to my thoughtful partner.

G - Garden Of Cherry Blossoms



Now this is something really thoughtful. It is a wonderful photo of some Cherry Blossoms. The photo was taken by my Swap Partner. She had this lovely view outside of her apartment in Greece. How breathtaking would that be to wake up to the luscious site of cherry blossoms.

And then I also got an added bonus



Not only is my sweet partner a gifted photographer, but she is also a talented knitter. She made these wonderful dish cloths. They are almost too pretty to use...

Thanks again for putting together this wonderful box for me! I love all of it...