Freezing!

Is anyone else freezing their patootie's off today?? Cold temps in Dallas during the month of April just isn't right! Obviously, Annaleigh is looking forward to our beach trip just a little more than a month away by trying out her beach chair, bikini, & sunglasses!

What is it with ear infections??

We just got back from the Dr. for A's 1year check up. 20lbs 40z, 30 inches, and ANOTHER ear infection just as I had suspected! That makes the 3rd in the last 2 months! Dr. Sonnen said if she has one more in the next month we will have to start discussing tubes for her ears...but here is my question: Have kids always gotten ear infections this much?? Seems like every one's kid has an ear infection right now....so on to the next round of antibiotics.

My friend Ashlie (Caldwell) Namie just started a blog. Thought some of you Lipscomb people might want to check her out and welcome her to the blogging world! She has some pictures posted from Jennifer Phillips wedding which was last weekend....I was sooooo sad to miss the event however it is nice to be keeping up with some of my girls through "blogging" after moving all the way out here to Texas! Speaking of moving to Texas, April (Shelton) Mattison also just made it back to the big D! I look forward to getting together with her soon! I am sure she is as fabulous as ever...especially now that she has a cute little baby bump!

Some of you may recall my entry a few weeks ago entitled "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" chronicling a pair of blue jeans which were passed on to me by my mom and sister. I happened to catch the movie the other night on TV and it was precious. A cute little chick flick that most gals can relate to in one way or the other....Just thought you would like to know.

OK. Enough randomness. Have a happy Monday evening!

Fergie - Fergalicious Parody

Fergie - Fergalicious Parody

Ok. This is just funny. I also have to admit I secretly love Fergie even though she feels the need to give us a spelling lesson in every song and my husband tells me I listen to trash! Don't judge me!

Prayer

Please take time out today to say a prayer for this family. They need to be surrounded.

www.thephillipsphamily.blogspot.com

A new tradition

Every year since I can remember my mom would go through the sequence of events of my birthday with me. I remember it as a child, but even now, she will start calling in the morning first thing and continue to call through the day to remind me what she was doing the day of my birth. I never really understood why she did that until today. I have to admit that for Annaleigh's party on Saturday I had LOADS of fun but didn't feel all that sentimental (I guess i was in hostess mode.) Well, today I have caught myself welling up with tears several times thinking about what I was doing a year ago....from the beginning stages of labor, to the 10 hours I spent in natural labor without an epidural, to finally getting the epidural, to learning I would have to have an immediate c-section for the safety of me and my baby....then to the first time I held her in my arms. It all seems like a dream now....but I know that it happened because God has blessed us with a healthy and vibrant little girl. One Year Ago

Today

With all of the above weighing heavy on my heart, I ran across a new blog of "a friend of a friend." I am sure some of you know Kory & Jayme Phillips at least by proxy. Jayme gave birth to twins the other day ...each of them weighing under 2 pounds. Please check out the web sight www.thephillipsphamily.blogspot.com and keep them in your prayers. The little girl especially is really in need of a lot of Prayer as she is fighting for her life. These babies have reminded me how precious life is today.

On to our new tradition. I decided at 5:20 (the time she was born) every year on my little girls birthday we will eat a piece of cake and blow out candles as a family if at all possible and no matter when her actual birthday party was. Here are a few pictures around the dinner table tonight
I promise I will not be so sappy and sentimental in future posts...but thank you for humoring me today and sharing in our joy.

The Birthday Party

Annaleigh's party went off without a hitch on Saturday. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Here are some pictures of the event. I have some better pictures on another camera and will try to get them uploaded today.

This weekend

I wanted to post a few pictures before the weekend just to have something new for my faithful (all three of you) readers to look at. I am excited my sister will be flying in tomorrow for a long weekend visit and my wonderful mother and father in law will be here as well. Annaleigh's party is scheduled for 12pm sharp Saturday afternoon in our backyard...but the weather is starting to look a little iffy which is making me super nervous! I am getting a contingency plan together just in case, but I admit I am crushed that all I had envisioned for her first birthday party may not come true. Oh well, It will still be fun no matter where it is!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend enjoying the spring weather with the ones you love!

Annaleigh getting into trouble I know I am not supposed to be doing this!!!!!
Having fun in the kitchen sink

An older picture of me and my little sis Rachel

Check & Check

I am happy to report that my little girl is finally feeling (nearly) 100%! It is so amazing how God made their little bodies to bounce back so quickly!

In other news, the "Spring Break" check list is slowly dwindling down. I forgot to mention I had to do our taxes (I often times mentally block that little detail out of my brain completely... I just want to give a big shout out to all of my CPA friends. You are nerds, but I admire you so much for the job you do!!) I digress. Anyway, TAXES ARE DONE AND FILED!!! One hall closet is spic and span, the garage is started, and Annaleigh and I are going to buy flowers today to plant.

Self Realization

OK. I know I am a bad mom. My little girl's first birthday soiree is in exactly 13 days and I have yet to send out invitations (by the way, if you live in the Mesquite area, you are invited.)
So...I had been looking for ideas on the Internet of concepts that I would like to do for her invitations. At least a start, right? I knew I wanted some super-cute & unique invitations but didn't want to shell out a lot of cash for them. I find myself in Hobby Lobby wondering around aimlessly and end up buying more stuff than I should resulting in invitations that aren't as cute as ones I could buy on the Internet and probably cost more. One day I will learn that my crafting ability and my imagination are not equal counterparts. (location & number has been blocked in the event there are any stalkers reading this blog.)

I did manage to get most of the decorations I needed at various places and a few cute party favors thanks to the dollar isle at Target...

I have been meaning to post a picture of our baby blessing we had at church a few weeks ago. Unfortunately we didn't get a lot of cute pictures but it was special none the less.

I am on spring break this week from class and from teaching. My goals are to, first and foremost, get my daughter feeling 100% better (she is still pretty puny), organize my hall closets, plant some flowers in the yard, & do some spring cleaning. I will let you know how it's going soon.

Double Ear Infection+Stomach Virus=NO FUN!

Bless my little girl's heart. Wednesday morning after she up-chucked her whole breakfast I started to suspect she had picked up a little stomach virus of some sort. Since she has had one or two thus far, I knew the thing to do was to watch her close and start pumping in the Pedialyte. She was really okay and played well all day Wednesday except for the stomach bug that had obviously started to kick in. Yesterday morning, I knew there was something else wrong when she woke up burning up with a fever and was completely lethargic which is NEVER my little girl. I gave some Motrin and quickly called and got in with the Dr. By the time we got her there, her fever jumped up to 103. We soon learned she had a double ear infection, which I had NO idea she had, plus some kind of stomach bug on top of it! Bless her heart! She has felt so bad the last couple of days. It is the absolute worst feeling in the world to see your children hurt. I wonder if that is the way God feels about us when HE sees us hurting. We are so blessed to have a Savior who takes our pain and our worry from us. I know that I have been stressed this week about my little girl being sick and lots of nursing exams....but I am going to try hard to let God take that from me and give Him the control. Because I just can't do it by myself.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

No, I am not talking about the book or the movie. I am talking about the most perfect pair of jeans my tush has ever worn. It all started last Christmas when my 47 year old mother decided she wanted some, in her own words, "cool jeans." We started walking around the mall where we ended up in American Eagle. Now, I would like to digress for a moment to say that I don't shop at American Eagle mainly because all the girls in the youth group either shop there or Hollister and I just don't care to show up to church with the same outfit as them...okay, so anyway, we are in American Eagle and she finds some very cute jeans. They do make her look young, but that's what she was going for. After seeing her wear them for a few times, I decide they are so cute that I want a pair too...but so does my sneaky little sister. Simultaneously, my dad makes a comment the jeans make her look too youngish so she puts them away. We go back to Texas...the next thing I know my sister calls me and tells me mom gave her the jeans. I WANTED THOSE JEANS (oh the woes of having a sister and a mother who wears the same size as me!) I was going to go and buy a pair, but now I won't on the principal that my mom gave the jeans that I wanted to my sister. A few weeks pass. My sister (who is the same size as me but also two inches taller) decides the jeans are too short for her...so she mails them to me. They arrive in the mail and I am nervous because I have never actually put these jeans on my body before. After I made such a big fuss they may not fit at all. I start to have major anxiety as I immediately strip in the living room to put them on...and they FIT LIKE A GLOVE!!! I love these jeans so much I have to make myself variate my wardrobe! Just curious, what is the item of clothing you just can't live without??

Debutante Ball

Russell and I had the opportunity to attend the Mesquite Debutante ball this weekend. One of our special MTM girls was presented to society! It was fun to see them all do their "bows" and Grand Waltz with their fathers....Here are a few pictures from the event.

Emily looked like a princess!

Me & Russell and my brother-in-law, Brad with his girlfriend Leslie. Leslie was a debutante in 2003

Russell is such a goof!

Welcome to the world little one!

I am sure y'all are all sick and tired of looking at Britney's bald head by now. Sorry I haven't been able to post anything sooner... I just got back into town last night from visiting friends in Lafayette. Louisiana. I left Russell and Annaleigh on Sunday afternoon to go and help our good friends with their 3rd baby (in 3 years!). Little Amalie (french spelling for Emily) made her appearance in the world last Thursday morning a little after 10AM weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 14oz! It was so special to be able to see her and take care of her while she was so young. Our friends kids are just like our nieces and nephews and Corey and Natalie are as close as family! We have been so blessed by their friendship and we love them all to pieces! Here are a few pics of all the kiddos!

Britney update for the day!

Apparently Britney thinks she is cured because she checked herself out of rehab AGAIN this morning. Can't her family put her somewhere for help where she doesn't have the option to leave...like...oh say, the mental hospital??

And for all you smarties out there, I would like it to be known that I do, in fact, have a life. This is just like a train-wreck. You can't help but stop and watch no matter how ugly it is!

PS: the picture is from www.perezhilton.com

Rehab

Thank goodness! Britney reads my blog (wink, wink) and under my sound and wise advise has voluntarily checked herself (back) into rehab today.

That picture...

That picture of Britney's head makes me sick every time I log in, I so I had to add some more pictures today. Below is Annaleigh with one of her friend's from MTM. The other was the little monkey sleeping last night! We thought she looked so funny. Her poor hair is out of control!

I am worried about...Britney Spears

Disclaimer: I would not call myself a fan of hers, nor do I own any of her Cd's. With that said, I just have to say that Britney Spears behavior is alarming to me! Poor child. I know her red-neck mom and dad pushed her into the lime-light at a young age and she never had the opportunity to grow up...but this is ridiculous. She went and SHAVED her HEAD and is seen partying very very hard every night. She is obviously having a breakdown and starving for attention...and I know she has plenty of money to hire the best nannies, but her two babies need a mother!!!!! These young stars are just burning the candle at both ends and living very hard lives. You would think she would have learned with the recent alleged drug related death of the tragic train wreck, Anna Nicole Smith. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HAVE AN INTERVENTION WITH THIS POOR GIRL, ENTER HER IN FOR A VERY LONG STAY INTO REHAB AND TAKE AWAY HER BABIES!!!!

So it's been a few weeks....

I really try not to take so much time in between blogs. First of all, it's overwhelming to start up again where you left off, and secondly because I DO check all of my friends sights daily(because I am a little addicted) and get so excited when they update! I would also like to take the opportunity to "shout out" to all my blogging buddies I don't know!!!! Thanks for posting on my previous entry "I am not a stalker..."
Things have been pretty crazy around here. My classes this semester are very challenging and take up a lot of my brain power and energy! In the mean time, being the wife of a youth minister and mother to a 10month old little girl leaves me little time to sit down and think about writing something witty, insightful....or for that matter coherent!
Russell and I celebrated Valentine's day last night because we didn't have time to BREATH this week! Traditionally, we don't do much for eachother as far as gifts, usually little tokens such as a DVD or a book or something....plus, and Russell knows this so I know it won't offend him: He is NOT good at surprising me with gifts. At all. And that's okay because it just means I get exactly what I want (because I go and pick it out myself.) Well last night he comes in with a pretty little gift bag (which is also a first, by the way.) I start to dig through...first I find a book I had been wanting. (Wow...can't believe he remembered.) Secondly, I see a CD that I had mentioned wanting (the new Norah Jones...very good, and highly recommend.) I notice there is something else in the bottom. I pull out an IPOD!!!!!!! I can't believe it! I was shocked to say the least and he went WAY above and beyond (especially since I only got him a Sports Illustrated subscription!) Anyway, I was very proud of my husband and he truly did make my day!
Hope everyone has a great Saturday. Annaleigh and I are having a p.j. day today and so far it has been WONDERFUL! Russell took a few of the kids down to Abilene for Sing Song today and should be back later tonight...

"I don't want my picture taken!"

You may be asking what I mean by the title of this entry...We went to get Annaleigh's pictures taken tonight and it was a disaster. You may know how it is. You dread the days your children have their pictures made. You schedule around nap & eating schedules so that they will be at their peak happy time...then, inevitably, they get off-schedule with their nap or they puke all over the clothes they were wearing. Well, none of those things happened today. Naps were a breeze, the dress was perfectly pressed and without stain. I was very optimistic. We proceed to the studio and everything is going great until Annaleigh gets in front of the camera where she goes absolutely stoic. She was bound and determined she would not smile. She didn't really fuss that much, but was just completely disinterested in what she was there for. I felt so sorry for the photographers because they truly tried their hardest and did a good job under the circumstances. Thankfully, a few shots turned out okay so it wasn't a total loss!
I tried to have my own photography session tonight before bed time receiving just about the same results, but I will let you judge for yourself....

I'm not a stalker, but...

Does anyone else read blogs of people that you don't know at all, or ones of people who you just know of?? I sometimes feel guilty when I find myself occasionally hopping from blog to blog through friends' links. I mean, I know blogs are public access (and by the way, it peeves me when people set their blog to private...what is the point??) but strangers may not necessarily mean for me to see pictures of their precious children or hear an anecdote about a conversation they had with a co-worker or friend. Am I invading their privacy?? It makes me wonder: who out there is reading my blog that I don't know about and who is guilty of "blog hopping" like me?? Feel free to confess. If you come clean, I will too=)

As much as I try...

I just haven't gotten back in "the swing of things" yet! Dallas experienced some unusually cold weather this past week with every headline on the news containing "Arctic Blast" or "Bitter Blast" with little to snow or sleet to report. We ended up canceling church services both last Sunday and Wednesday nights. Most of my classes were also cancelled last week due to the weather which was fine except for I am to the point where I needed them to start so I can just establish my new routine. Sufficed to say, we have been mostly holed up in the house for the last week...which makes me wonder HOW in the WORLD Annaleigh got sick!!! Just another thing to add to the pot! We took her in to Dr. Sonnen Friday because she had a persistent cough plus had been in a horrible mood for a few days. Mommy instincts told me something was wrong so I took her in and sure enough, she has an ear infection and RSV (basically a really bad cold virus. Very contagious. Can be serious for infants...Especially premees.) Anyway, meds were given along with orders to stay in for about a week so not to give it to anyone else. Can you say stir crazy??

It's been a busy week

It's been one of those hustle-bustle weeks...lot of little things to do most of which would be of absolutely no interest to any of my blog readers (all 3 of you.) I would like to back-track about 10 days and address the one obvious topic I missed. New Years Resolutions. I am not a big on them for the most part, but there is one that I try to accomplish every year...to ready the Bible in it's entirety. While the thought may seem overwhelming, the good people over at the Christian Book store can show you a few aids that may make it seem more attainable. I use the NIV " OneYear" version. Every day you get an easy-to-digest excerpt from the O.T., the N.T., part of a Psalm and a Proverb. It only takes about 10 minutes or so to complete the reading and you are right on track.

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy new year. I have to say that I am a little bit relieved to get back in a routine this week so that I can get some rest ( I think that is a sign I am getting old!) Some of the major highlights of the holidays was Christmas at our house with the Frantz's, going to Georgia to see my family, seeing some GREAT friends from back home and Annaleigh turned 9 months old! Santa brought me a DVD camcorder this year, but since I am not that technical, I haven't figured out how to post video yet, so here are some pictures of some friends and family in the mean time.... Annaleigh and Great-Uncle Raymond Annaleigh doesn't wan't grandaddy to put a Georgia Bulldogs hat on her!
Annaleigh and favorite Aunt Rachel

Christmas Card

It has been so fun to catch up with old friends and make new ones this year through this blog! I don't even have most of your physical mailing addresses so consider this your Christmas card from our family to yours. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas filled with special times with family and friends. We hope you are filled with Joy this season as we remember the most precious gift ever given. Jesus Christ.

No time to Blog!

Our holiday season has been jam packed already! We celebrated our Christmas with Russell's side of the family this past weekend and had a great time. This week will be focused on concluding our Holiday Food Roundup at church where we give 1 weeks worth of groceries to 50 families including a full Christmas dinner. It is an awesome undertaking but so rewarding. Thursday we will start our trek to Georgia to spend Christmas with my family. The only thing we are not looking forward to is the LONG car ride with an almost 9 month old!

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!)