Visiting Santa at Abby's Birthday Party

Here are a couple of pictures with Santa today at Abby Railsback's 1st Birthday party. We actually already visited Santa a few weeks ago, but since I don't have a scanner I couldn't post the picture. I guess we aren't too afraid of Jolly Old Saint Nick yet. A little suspicious, but not afraid.

It goes around....

You know. One day you are all about keeping your blog updated and then the next it feels like a chore! I enjoyed reading about everyone's Thanksgiving in their postings. Ours was relaxing. We headed down to San Angelo to see Russell's family on Tuesday and didn't return until Saturday evening. It truly was nice to get away from the hustle-bustle of life here that we can never seem to get a break from. In a nutshell our activities consisted of shopping with my mother in law,EATING, going to see Nana, spending time with Russell's (ughm) interesting cousins, EATING, going to see the new James Bond (which was FABULOUS,by the way), and, oh yeah! More eating.
I have a little more than a week left for this semester and I am just READY for it to be over for a few weeks. Classes have been really great this semester, but I am in NEED of a little break right now! We did go and get our Christmas tree on Tuesday which is always an adventure. This year seemed a little easier than last year...but still, we had to find the "Perfect Tree" for Annaleigh's first Christmas. I know she won't care much about the presents this year, but her face is priceless every time I turn on the lights to the tree.
I will leave you with some pics from Thanksgiving at my in-laws house (she had her tree up the first or second week of November!)

5 more

1. The opportunity to go back to school to follow my passion- be a R.N.
2. A supportive husband who makes every concession so that going back to school easy for me!
3. A "home away from home." I have already said thank you for our church family, but they have truly taken us on as their own family and that is a gift I can never thank God enough for!
4. Rachel-My precious little sister...Lord, Let her her head catch up with her hearts desire.
5. and for my food of the day... Chinese food from Chans. YUM! YUM!

Blessings for today

1. Sundays: a time to worship and praise!
2. Fried Chicken!
3. My little girl's laugh
4. Best Friends
5. The Cowboys beat the Colt's today! Unbelievable!

and....a picture of my little squirmy-wormy today after church. She did not want to be still and get her picture taken in her cute new dress!

Blessings

The Thanksgiving season is a time where many are reminded of all of the blessings in their life...I got to thinking today about a little book my little sis in pi delta Bethany gave me for my birthday one year. It was a journal where you just wrote down 5 things you were thankful for every day no matter how big or small. That little book was such a blessing to me because it forced me to sit down and recall things that day that had blessed my life no matter how hard or bad I thought my day may have been. Kind of sad that it sometimes takes tools like that to make us realize how blessed we are. From this week on, I am really going to try harder to count my blessings and tell God how thankful I am for the blessings He lavishly bestows on my life daily. I think I will post 5 things every day this week to get me back in the right frame of mind. I hope you will do the same.

1. Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and for you!
2. My precious little family- Russell and Annaleigh
3. Our church family at Mesquite.
4. The changing of the seasons
5...........and HOT CHOCOLATE!

Have a Blessed Day!

Cold Weather Comfort

It's a dreary, windy, rainy here in Dallas-not all that cold, but yucky weather non the less. Weather like this makes me wish it was Christmas already but Russell would die if he came home from work and the house was already decorated BEFORE Thanksgiving. Weather like this also makes me crave good old comfort food! Last night I made pork chops and sauerkraut (Russell loves the stuff) with hot potato salad, green beans, and cherry pie! I think I will make a roast with all the trimmings later on this week and an apple spice cake. No wonder we tend to pack on the pounds when it gets cooler outside! Does anyone else have any "comfort food" recipes to share?? Oh, and by the way, if you ever need ANY recipe ideas, one of the best sights I have found is www.allrecipes.com

We went last Friday to get Annaleigh's test run in conjunction with the infection she has earlier this month (Sonogram on kidneys and VCUG for you medical-types) Anyway, everything came back negative. Praise God she continues to be a happy and healthy child! Her little personality seems to develop more and more everyday. She loves to give you a big grin and show her 4 teeth off!

"Let's Go to Luckenbach Texas with Willie and Waylan and the Boys..."

Russell and I celebrated our 4th wedding Anniversary this past Thursday by going to Fredericksburg, TX (with out the child!) for a long weekend. We stayed in a cute little B&B right on Main street and just enjoyed a few days of quiet and relaxation. It was great to stroll down the streets, visit all the local attractions, Christmas shop, and mainly just enjoy being with one another.

For you non-Texans, you may not be familiar with Luckenbach, TX (about 10 miles outside of Fredericksburg.) Willie Nelson really put the TINY place on the map by holding an annual concert on the grounds. It is a neat little novelty...Basically a falling down shack with a bar in it in a camp-like atmosphere. You can kind of tell from the picture below there are local musicians that come daily just to sit around and play. If you are ever in the area, it's worth stopping by for a little while.

Trick or Treat

Sorry I am a little late posting Halloween pictures. Annaleigh had a good time trick or treating for the first time even though she didn't get to eat any of the candy (except for the one sucker that was put into her mouth by a special friend at church before I even had the chance to protest!) Oh well, it didn't hurt her, and it was pretty fun to watch! We just got back yesterday from our Anniversary trip...I will tell you all about that tomorrow. Enjoy the pictures of the cutest bumble bee ever!


 

In remembrance

All week I have had something weighing heavy on my heart and mind. On Halloween night, exactly 1 year ago, my best friend's little brother was senselessly killed at his fraternities Halloween party. Evan was a fun-loving college kid who was known for his antics and for his zeal for life. Suzanna and I became fast friends when we were in the sixth grade and Evan was just in kindergarten. We spent every weekend at eachothers houses so her little brother soon felt like mine too. I have so many special memories of us all growing up together. We would do everything from going to the lake with her family to making up songs on the way home from school when we had to ride the bus. The Luke family has amazed me in the way they have rallied together to deal with the loss. I know it hasn't been easy for them, but they have showed me how to trust in God even through the worst kinds of pain. Ms. Luke told me something last year at Christmas that will forever be imprinted on my mind. She said that she prayed for Evan every day of his life and although he still sometimes made bad choices she knew that God had heard her prayers and it had helped him to accept Christ. This conversation has given me so much conviction on how important it is to pray for our children, and even our future children. I do ask that if you get a chance today you will say a special prayer for this family for comfort during this difficult time.

Buzzzy weekend!

Here are a few pictures from this past weekend. We had a Yard Sale for the Youth Missions fund on Saturday morning bright and early...it was cold at 5AM. Later that afternoon was our church Fall Festival. It was HOT by then! Annaleigh did put on her costume...but we left off some of the pieces (tights and booties) because it was so warm out side. The third picture is of Annaleigh, her boyfriend Camden and their daddies. We plan to doll her up again tomorrow night to go trick-or-treating so I will be sure to post some pictures of that as well. All in all it was a fun but TIRING weekend. I am still trying to recover! As you can see, Annaleigh is pretty tired too! 

Disclosure of Guilty Pleasure

I have been debating on whether or not to share this information , but I decided in the name of entertainment I would go ahead and spill the beans. OK, I admit it. I am one of those people who have jumped on the bandwagon of indulging in Celebrity Gossip. I justify it by having no other vices in the world...so it can't be THAT bad, right?? It all started will www.people.com. I consider People to be a somewhat respectable magazine with most information from actual interviews, based on facts, etc. I would check the websight every morning when I checked my email perusing the articles with half interest and then browsing through the pictures of the day. Fine. I then progressed to www.tmz.com. I stumbled onto this sight mainly from referrals from TV shows, etc. It is obvious that this sight is based on more "hear-say" than facts with a lot of the pictures taken by their own crew of papparazi. I am stooping lower by the second...then it all came crashing down. I found www.perezhilton.com. Perez is actually a self proclaimed "Celebrity blogger" whose sight has become enormously popular and has been actually able to make his living from it. This sight can be racy & raunchy (DISCLAIMER) but it makes me laugh every time. At first I was so embarrassed I looked at it...now Russell and I both laugh about it. The thing is, its not that I really care what Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears & K-Fed, Jessica Simpson, etc or doing...and I hate it that there are actually people who look up to them because they do NOTHING meaningful and worthwhile with their life (at least from all outward appearances.) It's just darn entertaining so AMEN and dish me up some more celebrity gossip. Is there ANYONE out there with me??

Halloween Costume Test

We have been trying to get Annaleigh used to wearing her hat that goes to her costume for Halloween. As you can see, it hasn't been going so good... but it sure is funny. I am not sure what we did for entertainment before we had a baby!

Feeling Better

We went for our follow up to Dr. Sonnen yesterday and he confirmed that Annaleigh does have a UTI. The antibiotics are doing their job so she seems to be on the up-and-up. The bad news is that he wants her to go in for testing in a few weeks just to confirm there isn't anything wrong with her Urinary Tract or other equipment down there. He said that its pretty rare for baby girls to get UTI's unless there is a family history, but sometimes it just happens by fluke...He just wants to run these tests as precautionary which I really appreciate.

Thank you all for the prayers you lifted up for my baby. It truly means the world to me.
Here is a list of people I am lifting up in prayer today. I am not going to post specifics, but I pray that if you get the chance today, you will also just read this list of people to God. Please lift them up by praying for their protection and peace.

Sam & Hollee Ford
Michael, Courtney & her baby Will
John Forehand
Papa Moore
Abigail and Ansley
Beth & Brian Prewitt
Amanda & Courtney
The Luke Family

Sick little girl

You may have read in one of my postings last week that Annaleigh was taken to the Doctor for Roseola...well, after 8 straight days of fever the doctor decided it was probably something else so he sent us down to Children's Hospital last night for some further testing. After being prodded, pricked, x-rayed, etc. they came to the conclusion that she did indeed have an infection, but they are still not sure if it is viral or bacterial (she has no other symptoms except fever and lethargy.) They gave her an iv of antibiotics and fluids and sent us home with another prescription. Hopefully that will take care of her! I am not super worried, I just don't like knowing exactly what is wrong with her!
Keep us in your prayers this weekend. We follow up with the doctor on Monday so I will be sure to let you know what he says.

Pictures

 

Updates

Sorry for my little lag in postings. I have been trying to do better with keeping everyone updated on our little lives but there has been so much going on around here I simply have not had the time to sit down and do it.
It was so much fun to have my parents visit from Georgia the last few days. Sometimes I feel guilty for living so far away because I hate that they are missing out on watching Annaleigh grow up...but those feelings are coupled with thanks and peace that God has brought us exactly where we are for a purpose right now. We all had a great time visiting but I know they had more fun just being with their granddaughter..and that's ok!
In other news, we finally broke down and got DVR last week (built in TiVo.) Russell has been hounding me about it for ever and I have been putting him off even though EVERYONE swears its the best thing EVER. Well, I have to say that I do like it but I am not that much of a TV person because I just don't have the emotional energy to get into and follow shows. I admit that I have never even SEEN an episode of Lost, Grays Anatomy, or 24 (didn't that show end??) Anyway, Russell is in heaven so I am happy to make my husband happy.
We are sad because we were supposed to go and see our friends in Louisiana this weekend but we cant because Annaleigh is sick. Oh goodness, I just realized I talked about tv before I talked about my sick baby. UGH. It all started last week after she got her shots. I was expecting adverse reactions because she didn't do too well after the last round. She had a low grade fever and was mildly lethargic for a few days, but after 4 days straight of having a fever I finally called the doc and took her in. He believes she has Roseola. Since she doesn't go to day care or anything it is probable that she picked it up in Target or something. yuck. Anyway, we are just watching her close right now and waiting for the red rash to break out on her body. Sound fun??

Thank You God for our Family!

I never realized how much I MISSED living close to family until we had a baby! I totally understand now why people stay close to home or decide to move back home after having children. We had a fun weekend this weekend with Rita and Dean (my mother and father-in-law) here to visit. It was exciting to go watch Brad (my brother in-law) coach at football games...YAY for Friday night lights in Texas and the Rockwall Heath Hawks! We also had a blast going shopping, going out to eat, cooking at home, and just spending time together....

6 Months old...and all Tuckered out!

Everyone says it, but I honestly can't believe how fast the time goes and how FAST they grow. My little girl turned 6 months old today. I can already tell I am prepping my child to have a "birthday complex" because I sang happy birthday all day to her today. She is really going to expect the parade on her birthday at this rate... Anyway, this was the scene on my living room floor this afternoon. I was shocked she fell right to sleep because she usually gives major protests to any and all naps.

We have been pretty busy around here with everyday life! I enjoyed getting all my fall decorations out last week...now I am just waiting for it to be below 90 degrees so I can buy some mums and put a real pumpkin on the front porch without it spontaneously cooking into pumpkin pie.

Family Nights

 

Family Nights

In Light of the nature of our "hustle-bustle" lifestyle Russell and I quickly saw the need to carve out time for family nights shortly after the birth of Annaleigh. Tuesday and Thursday nights we always try to make a good home-cooked dinner and then take the baby for a stroll around our neighborhood park. I think we are all starting to really cherish this time together. It is great to have that predictible time to know that all we have to do in the world is relax and be together as a family. I think this time also means a lot to me because growing up I lived in a very chaotic and unpredictable household. I would love to hear some of the family traditions that all of you are starting...

Word Art

Here is a fun little thing my friend Tiersa did on her blog and I thought I would give it a try...

Just a few pictures to share taken last night and today. I hate to always bore you all with pictures of my PRECIOUS child. Some of you request them, some don't but here they are anyway. As you can tell, we are sitting up pretty well on our own as well as gnawing on ANYTHING we can find ( I say "we" as in Annaleigh) Mommy and Daddy have been sitting up on our own for quite some time now! (heehee)

Weather Report

Not much new to report around here. I started back to school last week with a cold plus going back to work for a few days made for a long week with no time to blog. I am excited about my classes, but reality is starting to set in that I have to buckle down and get working again after my long summer break...
We were so relieved this week to not only see temperatures fall below 100 degrees for the first time in about 90 days, but also to see that wet stuff fall from the sky TWICE (I think I remember it's called rain) Russell walked in this morning from outside and said he thought he could hear the ground "gulping." I am so relieved to see the grass actually turn from putrid brown to "greenish" (see above picture.) I knew things were getting bad around here when someone suggested to us that we needed to be watering the foundation of our house on our ONE day a week that we are legally allowed to water. I had never heard of such at thing, but apparently its old hat around here because everyone is familiar with the way the dirt settles under extreme draught conditions, etc.

Little Ranger fan!

A big thanks to Aunt Hollee for my new Ranger bib.

New Trick

"Look Mom, I can get my foot in my mouth"

Every day is an adventure around here with an ALMOST 5 month old baby! Teething is making us all very cranky and we have begun to wake up again in the middle of the night again even though we have been sleeping through the night since 7 weeks! Oh, the fun! I sure could use some encouragement right now from some of you super moms out there who have gone through the same...
I guess I am really just stressed because I go back to work tomorrow and school starts again for me on Monday. Albeit part time, it still breaks my heart to leave my little girl.

I have no catch phrase...

As I was perusing all my friends blogs last night I realized everyone has a catchy name for their blog. Some of these are: From My Heart, My journey, Check out Becky's World, Stacy's World, Reese Ramblings, Denhams in Brazil, Back Where I Come From, Goff Gossip, All about Linz, Lambert Life, Lovin' Life, etc (sorry if I missed you)...I have none! Since I am not a very witty person, i figured I would open up the floor to nominations for names for my blog from you guys....Any good ideas??

I also wanted to let everyone know that my procedure went well on Monday. The good news was that they didn't find anything major. There were some minor problems that I will most likely have to deal with for the rest of my life but are totally treatable through medicine and shouldn't give me too much trouble from day to day. We anticipate to get the final pathology back next week but the doctor felt pretty confident there was nothing to worry about. Thank you for your prayers.

Little Doodlebug

I can't believe how much I love this little girl!

 

pictures of the Harvison kids

Reed, Kennedy and Annaleigh being silly!

Thanks to my friend Tiersa, I am back in business as far as posting pictures are concerned.

Pictures??

Would anyone (esp. Hollee) like to give me some insight on why my pictures won't upload? I am trying to do it the way I always have with the upload picture button and it says they are there...they just don't show up on the blog. Is there an alternate way to upload pictures?

Harvison's visit, etc.

We were blessed this past week to have the Harvison family (our best friends from Louisiana) visit! Natalie and I went shopping at Canton (TWICE) and the boys were able to fit in a game of golf. I want to upload pictures of our kids playing but blogger is having a hard time tonight so I will try again tomorrow...In other news: The inlaws are coming in this weekend. What does that mean?? You know it: FREE TRUSTWORTHY BABYSITTING!Woo-hoo! New Moms need to check out www.jillinacabaniss.blogspot.com for some amazing insight into motherhood and thoughts from a f-u-n-n-y girl after my own heart. I do love my mother and father in law and we are so thankful for them being close (since my family is 14 hours away) and for the amazing relationship we have developed over the last 4 years.
I covet your prayers this coming Monday as I have my "procedure" aka colonoscopy and full G.I. scope to see just what-the-heck is going on inside of me. Please pray that we can figure this all out so I can get all this sickness stuff out of the way. I know I haven't disclosed a lot (its a little intimidating over the world wide web) but basically my new specialist is starting over with my case.
Have a FABULOUS Weekend!

Happy Birthday Hollee

I know Birthday's aren't as big of a deal as you get older, but I thought it was worth mentioning that it is Hollee (Huston) Ford's Birthday today. Hollee is one of the most thoughtful, dedicated, creative, dependable, loving, and Christ-like women I have ever had the priveledge of calling a friend. Hollee, I am so thankful that God brought you into this world 27 years ago. You are such an inspiration to me and to so many others.
I stole this picture from Hollee's blog.