Christmas Eve and Day

Christmas Day 2008

Our House at Christmas

Weather

For those of you traveling down here for Christmas or the weekend after, it's supposed to be in the upper 70s through the weekend with lows around 60 every night. Hope you weren't dreaming of a white Christmas!

Our Wonderful Rosa

Well, it turns out that whether or not I have a full-time job has no bearing on my abilities as a housekeeper. I think Stephen finally had enough of caked-on food, dog hair, and dust everywhere and realized that I am missing the housekeeping gene (I just don't think it's in my genetic code, right, Mom?). Thus, we have hired Rosa, a wonderful lady who will be coming to our house to clean every other week.
I wish I were better at this, really I do, but with two babies and two 80-lb. dogs in the house, I think it's more than one woman can handle. So, now I will probably run a vacuum over the floor and mop the kitchen and do laundry on Rosa's off weeks but I'm done with scrubbing showers and toilets, unless company comes between Rosa's weeks.
She came this morning at 7:30 and is still here. Our house was apparently dirtier than I thought. But now it's bordering on spotless!
Thank you, Rosa!

"We Drawed on Each Other"

SMUMC Children's Christmas Program

Mary Grace in front of our Christmas tree with the flowers her mommy and daddy gave her after her performance.


Mary Grace and Elsie



Blurry picture (stupid camera!) of some of the kids during the program. You can't tell it from the picture, but Olivia and Mary Grace are holding hands!

Happy Apple Christmas Party

Elsie getting in on the action!



Mary Grace and Lainee



Mary Grace at the Red Apple table



The Happy Apples had their Christmas party today. Mary Grace and the other 3-year-olds were Rudolf. Their noses were red and they had antlers! They sang several pretty songs in the Sanctuary then we went over the Bailey Hall (our fellowship hall) and had a party. We only took video in the church so these still shots are from the party.

Stephen's Christmas Gift

I'm so excited! I just ordered Stephen's Christmas gift. It should be here Monday or Tuesday. He is going to LOVE it! Can't say what it is yet in case he reads this but it's something he will really, really like!

Some Photos from Thanksgiving in North Carolina

Elsie, Singing Ariel, Mary Grace, Singing Ariel, and Grandaddy




Elsie Chatting It Up with Grandaddy



I know it looks like we just took Gramps out of the Home for the evening! This picture is too funny!



Two angels making angel biscuits with Nana. That reminds me, Nana, I need that recipe!


Grandmomma, Grandaddy, Stephen, Elsie, and Mary Grace



Mary Grace, Momo, and Elsie



Mary Grace, Aunt Chatham, Elsie, and Uncle Johnathan



Cassie, Mary Grace, and Elsie at Our Cookie Party



Making Sweet Potato Casserole with Nana

Another Oldie

A Typical Day

Today was a typical day in the Salt Marsh. I woke up at 5 and went to the gym. When I got back at 7, Stephen was up and showered and almost ready to go to work. Mary Grace was laying in our bed watching Dora. Elsie was still asleep in her crib upstairs. Stephen left around 7:30. I jumped in the shower and when I got out just at 8, Elsie was awake. Both girls had strawberry oatmeal for breakfast. Then we all got dressed and left at 8:45 to take Mary Grace to Happy Apple.

Elsie and I played upstairs in the playroom while Mary Grace was at school. We read some and played with some dolls. We left around 11:45 to pick up Mary Grace. We got back home around 12:15 and the girls had peanut butter sandwiches and applesauce for lunch with milk. Elsie went down for a nap at 1 and Mary Grace layed on my bed with me. I read while Mary Grace watched yet another episode of Dora. She then fell asleep around 2. I read some more then played on the computer some. Mary Grace woke up just after 4. I wouldn't say that was typical for her. Most days, she doesn't take a nap at all. I try to get her to at least lay down on the sofa and watch a movie or something for quiet time. Sometimes she falls asleep, sometimes she doesn't. Elsie loves her nap, though. She sleeps anywhere from 2 to 4 hours in the afternoon. Today, she woke up just before 5. The girls then had apples and raisins for snack and went upstairs to play a little. We got dressed for dinner and Stephen came home at 5:45. Then we left for dinner at the Rogowskis'.

Our friends, the Harrises, were there with their little boy, Brady, who's 18-months old. All the kids had a big time. I think they pulled all of Olivia's toys out! You couldn't even see the floor!

We got home about an hour ago and the girls went straight to bed (a little later than their normal 8 pm time).

Now, Stephen is laying in bed reading while I type this.

All in all, that's a pretty typical Happy Apple day for us. On a non-Happy Apple day, I may take the kids to the park or to the library. Some Happy Apple days, I take Elsie to the grocery store or to the gym while Mary Grace is at school.

The days always go by so quickly and I'm always surprised at how little I get done. It seems like someone is always needing something. And the house echos so bad that I can't easily do dishes or any loud cleaning while Elsie's taking her nap.

I'm starting to go to the gym early in the morning before everyone else wakes up. I'm going to have to do that come January, so I may as well get used to it now. It also gives me more time with the girls. But, man, I am tired!

The picture above has nothing to do with this post, obviously. It just makes my heart warm, so I thought I'd post it. Wonder what Mary Grace must have been thinking at that moment? It's hard to believe that Elsie is just one month shy of the age Mary Grace was when Elsie was born.

Mary Grace - 3 years ago

Jesus' Birthday

It was dark when I brought Mary Grace home from dance class last night so we got to see all the Christmas lights in our neighborhood. Mary Grace said that the whole world is decorated for Baby Jesus' birthday and for Santa Claus.
We had a surprise when we drove up to our own home. Stephen and Elsie had put up a Christmas tree on our front porch. It's so pretty with little white lights. I think I'm going to decorate it with coastal ornaments: sea shells, starfish, etc. It will depend on whether the girls and I can make a trip down to the beach this week. Coastal Living has a front porch tree on its December cover.
Mary Grace also has a purple tree in her bedroom. Olivia helped her decorate it this weekend. It's very pretty. From outside the window, you can't tell it's purple. It just looks like a pretty little tree with white lights. Then we have our big tree in the family room. We're still working on getting it decorated. So, we're officially a 3-tree family this year.

Problems with my computer

For the past week or so I have been unable to upload any photos to any website. I can't upload to Blogger, Snapfish, Shutterfly, Facebook, or WalMart. It's very frustrating. You all are missing so many pictures that we've taken over the last few weeks. If anyone has any ideas what the problem might be, I'd love to hear them. When I try to upload, I get an error message that I'm not connected to the internet. It's like something is kicking me off the internet just when I try to upload photos. Anyway, it's really aggravating.

Mary Grace and Elsie's Story

Once upon a time, in a land where palm trees grew;
Lived two little girls in a house with a Riverview
Where Spanish moss swayed in the ocean breeze
And the bright sun was shaded by the most beautiful live oak trees.

With their mommy and daddy and two dogs, Daisey and Roo
These two little girls live a dream come true.
They love to frolic in the ocean and dance in the sand.
Through it all, they are blessed to be held safely in God’s own hand.

These two little girls, Mary Grace and Elsie are their names,
Are a blessing, a gift, a reason for acclaim.
For, you see, they are sweet and good and loving and kind
And each is blessed with a brilliant mind!

Mary Grace is a princess who loves purple and pink.
She likes to bake cookies and cakes and wash her dishes in the sink.
She is a graceful ballerina, living up to her name
And the best of friends to the Happy Apples and Miss Julie’s gang.

Elsie is fearless, a real go-getter.
She doesn't let her big sister get far without her.
She climbs and she jumps and she dances around the house
And her favorite star of all is Mickey Mouse!

Their daddy is wrapped around not one but two little fingers.
He’d better save up so the weddings don’t send him to the cleaners!
Their mommy loves everything about her precious peeps
From the tops of their bow-heads right down to their bare feet

Yes, these girls are pretty and smart and sweet, true dreams;
Everything a mommy and daddy could want, it would seem.
So, amidst the warm breezes that carry their laughter,
They live beautifully and happily full of love foreverafter.

A Whirlwind Tour

The girls and I just got home from our tour of the Southeast (or the states that count, at least!) on Sunday. It was a wonderful 15 days! We started out on Saturday, the 15th. We flew from Jacksonville to Birmingham (with a plane change in Atlanta). When we landed in Atlanta, Mary Grace said, "Mommy, look at those trees! Their different colors! That's silly!" Since palm trees, pine trees, and live oaks don't change color, I guess she hasn't really seen changing leaves before! The flight went well. We shared a row of three seats on each flight and the flights were short. Only one little snag when we landed in Birmingham without one car seat and the girls' luggage. Leave it to Delta, I guess!

Nana picked us up at the Birmingham airport and we headed to the Eureka Fish Camp (Aunt Judy and Uncle Bryan's). That night, we had dinner at Jim and Angie's beautiful home in Talladega. The girls had so much fun playing with Lauren and Cody.

On Sunday, we went to Crosspoint for church and then had lunch with Coke Man, Pam, Butch, Seth, Mallory, and Mike. We had a wonderful visit with them and were so thankful for the time.

On Monday, we visited Maw Maw and Paw Paw at Aunt Elaine's new home outside of Anniston. They are doing well and seem happy and relaxed. Aunt Elaine is taking good care of them.

We had lunch with Patti Anne and Aunt Judy on Tuesday before heading to Atlanta to stay with Mike at his hotel for the night. It took us all day Wednesday to get back to Raleigh.

We were in Raleigh for my birthday and they suprised me with a beautiful Edible Art cake. The girls and Nana and I went to Trinity for church that Sunday. Monday and Tuesday were spent polishing silver and ironing napkins in preparation for the Biggest Thanksgiving Ever. Yes, it was so big it deserves a title. I think the final count for Thanksgiving dinner was 42!

Stephen drove up on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We went over to Mooresville on Friday to visit Grandmomma and Grandaddy Voils. We had a nice time with them and we headed back home on Sunday. Whew!

It was such a special time to spend with family and friends. Since I'll be starting work in January, I won't be able to take that much time again (or at least for the next 4 years!).

I took abotu 200 photos. For some reason, Blogger isn't letting me upload any right now. I'll try again later.

It's a Happy Apple Day

Slowly but surely, we're getting the lyrics to the Happy Apple song. It's to the tune of "It's a Small World". Here's what we have so far:

It's a world of paper, a world of glue
[don't know the next several lines]

Refrain:
It's a Happy Apple World
It's a Happy Apple World
It's a Happy Apple World
[don't know the rest]

We're working on getting the rest of it.

Here's the prayer they say before snack and which Mary Grace says now before she eats:

The Lord is good to me.
Thank you, Lord, for giving me the things I need
The sun, the rain, and the appleseed,
The Lord is good to me.

Beach Day!

The weather was so beautiful today that I decided to take the girls to the beach this morning. We put on our suits and headed down to Amelia, our favorite beach. The girls splashed around and dug in the sand for an hour or so and then we headed back home for naps.

Good Dog

Here's a photo of sweet Daisey with the girls. Notice that Jackson is nowhere in sight.

Another Busy Week in the Marsh

We've had another busy week. It was back to school on Monday for Mary Grace. Then on Tuesday, we managed to fit in a trip to the Scarecrow Walk downtown before Bible Study for Stephen and me. Mary Grace and Elsie dressed up in their Halloween costumes (well, we may change them, more on that later) and we headed downtown with our treat buckets (Elmo and Disney Princess -- I'll let you guess which little crab had which bucket). The girls had fun getting their faces painted and collecting candy from the downtown merchants. We also ran into many friends and took some fun pictures. Then it was off to the races to get to Bible Study on time (plus I had to bring dinner).


The picture above is particularly funny to me. First of all, if you look closely, you'll see that it's a banker sitting behind his desk talking on the phone. Satilla Bank put this scarecrow together. The president of Satilla is Gary Willis. This scarecrow was "Scary Willis", according to the nameplate on his desk. And you'll see that there is a watering can full of "service" on his desk just waiting to be poured all over Satilla's lucky customers (like the Salt Marsh Kinneys). The other funny thing about this picture is that Mary Grace posed sideways so that the butterfly painted on her face was clearly visible. But she still managed to say a big "CHEESE!" Elsie's just crying because she didn't want to have anything to do with Scary Willis.

The Fire Department visited Happy Apple on Wednesday. The Apples got to see the firetruck and learnd to "stop, drop, and roll". They also frosted cookies with red icing. Mary Grace wore her dalmation dress for the occasion. I didn't get any pictures of her in it but will post some when I do. It's too cute! Elsie has the matching dress and they are reversible with a snowman for Christmas on the other side.

Also on Wednesday, Stephen and I went to a fundraiser for Jack Kingston, our Congressman. It was a small gathering and our friends, Jay and Laura came down for the occasion, so it was a good time. Afterwards, Jay, Laura, Stephen, and I went to Marianne's downtown for supper. Laura and I had the crab-stuffed grouper. Stephen had shrimp and grits. Jay wasn't feeling well so he just had a side of shrimp. It was all wonderful and the historic home that the restaurant is in is beautiful.

Today, the girls got haircuts again then we went shopping for a birthday gift for Mary Grace's friend, Ella Morgan. Ella Morgan is NOT a princess so it was hard for us to find the perfect thing for her. We settled on a paint-your-own pirate treasure chest and a Georgia t-shirt. Here's a photo of Mary Grace and Ella Morgan at the Scarecrow Walk:







You can see that Ella Morgan is Peter Pan, not a princess!







After that excursion, I dropped the girls off at Ms. Julie's house for lunch and naptime since I had a lunch interview. The interview went well and the girls had fun visiting with their friends at Ms. Julie's. Ryleigh (Mary Grace's best friend and fellow Red Apple) was so excited when I dropped them off that she wouldn't stop running around the room. Then we went to the grocery store to stock up on "pop pops" (lollipops). We even sampled a little "liverwurst" from the Boars Head lady and bought some after we realized that's it's really just liver mush.

So, about the costumes: My plan was to let Mary Grace be Cinderella since we already have the dress and she loves Cinderella. I thought it would be cute to make Elsie a mouse. You know, Cinderella and her mouse. Elsie even carried "pearls" for Mary Grace. Anyway, no one got it so I'm re-thinking that plan. We've also thought about Ariel and Flounder. Mary Grace would really like to be Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) but I'm not sure what would go with that. This may be my last year when Elsie really doesn't care what her costume is so I'm trying to take advantage of it with the coordinating costumes!



We're off tomorrow after Happy Apple for Aunt Gin's wedding in Jefferson. Mary Grace is so excited that she can't stand it! She's told everyone that she's going to be a flower girl and that she's going to walk down the aisle with her cousin, Bradlee. She also says that Bradlee is her cousin while John Morgan is Elsie's. She doesn't get that they all are the same to each other. She thinks that Bradlee is hers alone.

We're all excited to be part of this big day for Ginger. We're praying that Grandaddy heals fast and can at least be available by phone for the event. We know it's going to be a beautiful, joyous occasion and we are so glad to be part of it!

Squeeky Doll

Elsie always giggles when she runs and it makes the cutest little noise. It's like someone's squeezing her belly like a squeeky doll. This afternoon, she was running down the hallway from the front door to the den because she was so excited that Stephen was home. She giggled the entire way. I was standing at the door so I got the rear view and it was just so cute. Her little legs kind of swung out to the side and she was rolling her head around as she ran. She thought she was the funniest thing! I could just squeeze her!

Back to School

After a five-day weekend, it's back to school for Mary Grace tomorrow. School was out at the end of last week for Fall break. I think she's excited about going back. She loves her school and talks about it all the time. She also sings about it all the time, like this: "Red Apples to the gate. Hurry up and don't be late!" That must be how the teachers get them back to the building after outside time. Then there's "It's a Happy Apple Day". I can't quite understand all the words to that one yet but it mentions scissors, crayons, and paper.

Scarecrows

Our friends, the Rogowskis, came over for dinner tonight. After we ate, we took the kids outside and made some scarecrows. We made a man and a girl and plan to put them in front of Stephen's office, which is on the main street in town. That way, the kids will be able to see their scarecrows on their way to church and Happy Apple.
We had so much fun and are so thankful to have found good friends in our little town!

Hay Days

We had a great time downtown this morning looking at all the scarecrows. We had a little change of plans and will be making ours tomorrow with the kids at church instead of this morning. But we had fun walking around downtown and seeing all the creative scarecrows. Here are some pictures:

Long Time, No Blog

Things have been so busy around here lately that I have not made the time to do my updates. I'm hoping to get back into a regular routine with them now that I'm not working and have more time.


We're at the end of our first official "at home" week and we're all settling in pretty well. Mary Grace didn't have school this Wednesday or Friday because of the fall break so we've really had a true at home week. We've got a pretty good routine going: 8:30 breakfast, then playtime either at home or at the park or at the library then lunch around 11:30 then nap til 2:30 or 3 then we go outside and have craft time on the front porch. We also have to fit in some errands sometimes and we usually do those in the morning. We're sticking to our 8pm bedtime, too.


We've also joined the Rec Center so we've gone there a few times. They have a tot drop so Stephen and I can work out together while the girls play. We'll probably go back there tonight after Stephen gets home from work.


We went to our friends, the Rogowskis, home for dinner last night. Here are some pictures of the kids:

Mary Grace, Elsie, and Olivia

Elsie and Benjamin

I don't realize how much Elsie has that paci in her mouth until I go back and look at pictures I've taken. I always wish I had taken it out of her mouth before taking the photo. I'll have to try to remember to do that.

We have a big weekend ahead, just like the last two. This weekend starts the St. Marys Hay Days festival so we'll be going to the church tomorrow morning to make a scarecrow. Stephen's firm is also doing a scarecrow. Most of the businesses in St. Marys participate and they leave the scarecrows out all over town for the month of October. Some of them are pretty funny. I think Stephen's firm is going to dress one up like a judge.

On Saturday night, we're going to an oyster roast. It's a fundraiser for the local Republican party. There's certainly lots of that going on the next few weeks!

Last weekend we had the Rock Shrimp festival in St. Marys. It's a festival that Kiwanis does every year in October. I ran the 5K race on Saturday morning and Stephen brought the girls out to watch. Well, actually, they were half an hour late so they missed the whole race. Stephen had the girls all set up in the little chairs on the corner waiting for me to run by when he saw me drive off on the way home. Luckily I had my cell phone so he called me. I parked the car around the corner and ran up the street so the girls could see me "race". They never knew the difference!

Front Porch Sittin'

We've enjoyed a lot of front porch time this weekend. We've eaten just about every meal out there. The weather has been so nice; we've had cooler temperatures, less humidity, and a nice breeze since Thursday. Hopefully, it will last.
Stephen and I attended the Habitat for Humanity ball last night with a couple of friends. It was a nice night out sans kids and I won some good prizes at the silent auction. One of my wins was a 1-year family membership to our rec department. I got it for a steal! So we'll be able to go workout and the girls will have a place to play while we do. We also will be able to swim all year, since it has a heated pool. I'm really excited about that one. It was an answer to prayer, actually. I had visited there last week and decided not to join because of the price and then there it was at the silent auction for a fifth of what it would have cost!
I also think I won a Lampe Berge (I didn't check to make sure I won this one at the end of the auction but I'm pretty sure I did). Mom, I won't even tell you what I paid for it if I did win it!
This morning, Stephen gave a talk about stewardship at both services. He was the unlucky one who was tasked with introducing the stewardship campaign after the terrible market fluctuations last week. What a weekend to start a campaign about financial giving! He did a great job, though. He used a story that Big Steve had told him several years ago about a young married couple and their tithing. It got a good laugh.
Oh, and little Elsie put together her first sentance today (sort of). I had locked the dogs in the bathroom and was trying to get the door unlocked with a screwdriver this morning. She came over and said "Mama doin'?" It was so cute. She kept saying it over and over!

Flowers

The weather has been so nice here the past couple of days. Last night, we all sat on the front porch after bathtime. It was so nice today that we decided to cook out and eat on the front porch.
Mary Grace and I went to the grocery store to get some meat to cook and to get a prescription filled for her eczema. While we were waiting for her prescription, she wanted to pick out some flowers. She picked out three bunches of pink (of course) flowers: carnations, gerbera daisies, and little roses. As we were walking back to the pharmacy and she was holding her flowers, she told me that she needed flowers because she's getting married tomorrow. Who do you think she's going to marry? Well, her daddy of course! She asked me if I thought he would marry her and then she was worried what I would do if he did!
I guess this whole wedding thing comes from seeing our wedding pictures and seeing me all dressed up in a pretty white gown. But what better compliment to a daddy than to have his little girl want to marry him?!

Our Tuesday Night Group

Stephen and I have been meeting with a group on Tuesday nights since the beginning of the year for Bible study. Our group consists of the Nihisers, who happen to be our friend Owen's in-laws, our preacher's wife, Sharon, and another young couple, Stan and Adrienne. Stan and Adrienne have a little boy who is Elsie's age and a little girl who is a year older than Mary Grace. (Mary Grace thinks she's the coolest thing!)
First we did the Crown Financial study. Now we're studying Donald Adams's book, With Hands Outstretched: Actively Seeking the Mind of Christ. Pastor Adams's book is very in depth and really pushes you to think and be honest with yourself and the group your study group. It's not one of those that just gives you a Scripture reading and then asks questions that only have you repeat exactly what the Scripture said. No, no. You're not getting off that easy with Pastor Adams!
Just as an example, the first question of the first chapter of the book is this: "Martin Luther would ask his companions in spirtual formation, 'Where have your temptations lead you?' What have you learned about yourself through your temptations?" And you're supposed to share that with the group?! Definitely not for the faint-hearted!
We meet at the Nihiser's lovely home on Tuesday nights for our study. We take turns brining supper and facilitating the night's discussion. This week was Chapter 4: Remaining in His Affection (Seeking to Share God's Singlemindedness), which features such questions as: "Lies are spiritual red flags, simple though they seem. Where are you dishonest or in denial in some way?" and "Why do we resist the compassion of Jesus?" Ha! So I read my chapter, write some notes, and pray for the best. We arrive at the Nihisers for supper and Adrienne asks me, "Did you get my e-mail?" No, I didn't get Adrienne's e-mail, which by the way, she sent at 3 o'clock to my home address! Well, the e-mail was entitled "Father Cometh". Oh, I forgot to tell you, Adrienne's dad WROTE OUR BOOK! Yes, the author is coming to sit in on our discussion, which I"M SUPPOSED TO LEAD!
Talk about pressure! I'm actually glad I didn't get the e-mail! I was more than a little nervous but it all turned out alright. Pastor Adams is so knowledgeable and so nice! It was truly a treat to have him drive all the way from Vidalia just to meet our little group! He gave us a lot of insights where we needed them but also just sat back and listened as we went through our study. He's a precious person and we were truly blessed by his presence.
He spent a total of about six or seven years, he said, over the course of 20 years working on the book. Talk about dedication!

Long Day

Wednesdays are long days for us. Mary Grace has preschool from 9 to noon. I pick the girls up from Ms. Julie's around 5 then we head straight to church for supper (chicken and dumplings tonight, yum!). Usually, we go home right after supper but tonight was the start of our Fall Bible studies. Stephen is taking a course on the Old Testament. One of our members who is in seminary is teaching it. I'm taking yet another Beth Moore study. This one is on the book of Daniel. Her studies are always interesting, entertaining, and convicting and this one is shaping up to be all those things, too.
One sad thing to report today is that our dear daycare teacher, Ms. Britney, lost her father this morning. He went in for a routine hernia surgery and somehow developed a blood clot that traveled to his heart. She was on the playground with the kids when she got the call informing her that he had died. This is, obviously, a terrible tragedy for Britney and her family. If you could send up a little prayer for her; I'm sure she needs it.
Aside from that, we're all fine and glad to be moving on to the end of this week. I'm thinking of knocking off on Friday afternoon and taking the girls for a surprise trip to the beach.
I'm also thinking of adding a beach day into our stay at home calendar once per week. I think that will be fun for the girls, even when it gets cold. It's hard to beat an endless sandbox! We'll also start going to storytime at the library on Thursdays. The girls love the library!

Glory Glory Halleluja!

As you know, the house in Douglasville has been on the market for more than 18 months. We've been paying the mortgage and the utility bills and someone to cut the grass. Needless to say, this has been a strain on our budget, one that only became more scary with the loss of my job. On top of that, we were starting to get some pressure from our homeowners insurance company because the house was vacant. Apparently, insurance companies don't like to insure vacant houses. This whole situation has been very stressful for both of us but especially for Stephen (you know how he worries).
When we learned that I was getting RIF'd (reduction in force) from SunTrust, we did a lot of praying and talking about what God was leading us to do. It just seemed like the last straw in what had been a very difficult 18 months. But we truly believed that God must have had a purpose in all this struggle. I don't think it was a coincidence that we learned about the changes at SunTrust the very same day we moved into our new house. Surely, if we had learned of those changes even a month before, we would have thrown in the towel and headed back to Douglasville. The timing being what it was, we tried to dig deep and figure out where God was leading us. We both really felt like I should stay home with the girls and not try to find another job after SunTrust. Stephen ran the numbers (you know he did to the penny!) and we learned that I was basically working to pay childcare and the cost of the Douglasville house. I mean, I made more than that but if we didn't have those expenses, we wouldn't need my income. (Mom, I can hear you saying, "That's not the only reason to work!" I appreciate that but this is where we are right now.)
So we decided that that's what we would do and then started praying (even harder) that "something would give" (as Stephen puts it). We were both really starting to get discouraged around the end of August when nothing had happened with the house. Well, we've stuck it out and finally just last week had FOUR families express interest in the house! All at once after the fist weekend in September! Our renters moved in on Saturday and we took the utilities out of our name today. They've signed a 12-month lease and also have expressed interest in buying the house!
You just can't imagine what a relief this has been! Stephen's like a new man!
I'm not sure what else God has in store for us but we believe He has us down here for a reason (or for many reasons!). Maybe the first reason is so that it's easier for me to stay home with the girls. So that's the plan for now. If you've been praying for us, thank you. If not, we can always use more!

Who's the Boss?

Kids are so funny. You never know what's going to come out of their mouths at any given moment. That is one reason I'm thankful that our church has done away with the children's sermon and is now just having a completely separate service for the children. I mean, who wants to run the risk that their precious little one will air their dirty laundry, or swear, or scratch inappropriately right in front of the entire congregation? Children just don't seem to have a filter. Sometimes that's scary, sometimes it's just plain cute. Like last night at the dinner table when Mary Grace informed us that she was going to eat so that she can grow big and "be in charge". Well, what a great goal for a little girl! Although, I think she'll have some competition around here!
So, that got me thinking. What would the world be like if Mary Grace Kinney were in charge?

1) First of all, there would be no green peas on the menu. As a matter of fact, the only vegetable available would be green beans. You could have that with anything covered in cheese or chocolate or ketchup. Ever noticed how kids will eat anything as long as you serve it with a side of ketchup or applesauce or, better yet, both?

2) The sky would be purple, and not in weird Prince/Purple Rain kind of way. No, this would be a nice lavendar with lots of sparkly stars at all times of the day and night.

3) The Little Mermaid would be on a continuous run. And we would have an 18-inch deep pool, complete with a slide, in our den in front of the TV so that she could practice her Ariel moves.

5) Happy Apple Academy would be all day, everyday, except for breaks for Ballet/Tap class and Playhouse Kids (the children's Sunday night program at church - I don't know what they do there but it sure must be fun).

6) Speaking of tap, you would be allowed to wear your tap shoes everywhere, even in the pool. You never know when you'll be called upon to belt out a tune and doesn't an accompanying dance always make a song that much better?

7) McKenna (our 14-year-old next door neighbor, babysitter, and most importantly, Blake's sister) would come over everyday to paint Mary Grace and Elsie's toenails with sparkly pink polish.

8) Elsie Mac would be vice president.

9) Fancy Nancy would have a Cabinet position.

10) Nana would give her that green and white purse. (Okay, maybe that one's for me.)

Annie

I almost forgot, we also bought Annie today. It was my favorite movie when I was a little girl and I knew Mary Grace would love it, too. Sure enough, she sang and danced to "Tomorrow" all afternoon while the rest of us, including Elsie, watched the Dawgs on the playroom TV.
I don't think I'll get her a perm, though, Mom. I still can't believe you did that to my hair!

Night Night

Just wanted to share some pictures of our nighttime ritual. After a bath, we have storytime and prayer. Elsie has just started joining Mary Grace for storytime with Mommy and Daddy. After I read a story to them tonight in Mary Grace's bed, they both wanted to "read" their own book. It was too cute so I took pictures:

Tooter Cookies

Our wonderful neighbors had a homemade blueberry buckle waiting on our kitchen counter for us when we got home late last Saturday night from St. Maarten. It was time to return the favor so today Mary Grace and I made Tooter Cookies -- really just chocolate chip from the recipe on the back of the Nestle chip bag with a little twist to make them soft and not crunchy.


She helped measure the ingredients and helped hold the mixer. Then she carried a place over to our wonderful neighbors. She was so proud.


Here's her handiwork:





Isn't she a big girl?!

Elsieisms

Life with a 19-month-old is so much fun! Here is a list of words that she knows:

Mama
Daddy
Gace (for Mary Grace)
Roo
Daisey
(pretty much all the names of her friends and family)
dog
bankie (blankie)
pah-pee or pah-pwee (paci)
tank doo (thank you)
pease (please)
uh-huh
nigh nigh (night night)
NO!
ball
soo (shoe)
car
coffee (this apparently means anything in a cup or even just the cup itself)
go (the dogs hear this one a lot)
na na (banana)
biper (diaper)
wipe
bow (of course!)
nose
eye
cookie (this works for either cookies or crackers)
up
airplane
mine
book
down (she uses this when her pappy falls under her bed)
pizza
bye bye
hey
bandaid


I'll add more as I think of them.

Too Much Love

So I'm standing at the stove this afternoon checking the broccoli that I have steaming in the pot and I hear, "No, Elsie!" Even though this is a phrase that I hear almost hourly, I turn around to check on the situation. There's Elsie climbing on Mary Grace's back, squeezing her neck and trying to kiss her. Mary Grace says, "Mommy, she's squeezing me!" Being the good mother that I am, I try to foster sisterly affection by telling Mary Grace, "She's just trying to give you love! She loves you so much!" To which Mary Grace replies: "But that's too much love!"
Since I ddn't know there was such a thing, I decide to ignore the situation and turn back to my steaming pot of broccoli. THUD! Oooh, that's Elsie's head hitting the tile floor. I turn around to see a tangle of chubby arms and legs wrestling on the floor. Apparently, Mary Grace was not up for too much love tonight.
After a paci and a blankie and a little motherly love, Elsie was fine.

Bonjour (that's fancy for "Hello")

With moving and new jobs, we've been so busy over the last year and a half that I feel like we've missed out on so much with the girls. They are so precious and I don't want to forget even one second of their little lives. Being that I'm not very crafty and, thus, much of a scrapbooker, I'm hoping that this will be a way to catalogue our lives. I also hope that our extended family will check in occasionally to see what we're up to.

So without further adieu, here I go into the blogging universe; please join me for the ride..........