mama said there'd be days like this

Day before yesterday, I wrote a prayer in my journal asking The Lord to give me patience with my children, to help me find joy in the everyday moments, to allow me to cherish every stage of their development even when things got a little rough. Then yesterday, Grant started running a fever. I took him to his doctor who said it was probably just a cold, (flu test came back negative) and to watch him for the next few days.......of course, after the doctor's office closed, Grant's fever shot up to almost 104, and he just wasn't acting like himself, so we took him to the ER. Luckily, the ER doctor said the same thing our pediatrician had said, and we were sent home to "wait it out." Grant is MUCH better today (thank you Lord), but after a stressful few hours in the ER, getting home at midnight and sleeping on the couch so I could be near by baby, I am feeling the effects today!! 

Yet, I believe that God led me to write that prayer in my journal, so that it would be fresh on my mind when I began the inevitable worrying that comes along with having a sick child. It helped me to keep things in perspective, to turn to Him during those tough hours, to cherish the bonding that comes with holding your sick little baby extra close and rocking him to sleep, and for that, I am extremely grateful!!

fun-filled weekend

OK, this photo cracks me up!!! This weekend, we went to the Fall Festival at our church, and my daughter insisted on going down this huge slide......I was a little worried when I saw her flying down it, but she popped up at the bottom and immediately said "I wanna do it again, mama!!!" She is quite a brave little girl :)

We had a great time playing games, riding rides, sitting in the big fire truck, eating lots of candy and just being together.  Daddy was out of town, so the kids had a great time hanging out with their cousins and grandparents.

On Sunday, the kiddos had a great time carving pumpkins, eating cupcakes, and running wild with their cousins during the Cowboy game. It was a beautiful weekend, beautiful weather and a great reminder of how blessed we are to live so close to our family.

I love this photos......the hubby and I rarely have photos of just the 2 of us, so when we do, I cherish them :)

follow the yellow brick road

The Halloween costumes have been purchased and they are a big hit!! I am totally into the brother-sister matching costume combo, and The Wizard of Oz is my mom's absolute favorite movie of all time, so this was a no-brainer. I mean seriously, it just doesn't get much cuter than this :)

thoughts

Have I mentioned that I love the cooler weather!! We went to church Sunday morning and I loved wearing a dress with tights and tall boots.....my favorite fashion combination :) Now, if we could just get rid of the dreary rain and bring on some sunshine!!

My mind is a jumbled mess today, so I think I will make a list = that always makes me feel better!!

1. I am really enjoying being a Cubbie leader.....sometimes I dread having to get out on Sunday evenings, but I always feel great each time we go!!

2. I was completely amazed that some people were actually complaining about President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize! I mean really, complaining about where he takes his wife on a date, complaining about showing up to try & bring the Olympic games to Chicago, complaining about Michelle's attire.......Ridiculous!!

3. I finished reading "Sheperding your Child's Heart".......it made me feel like a bad mama!!

4. I really wish we had a bookstore in this town!!

5. We had a great time as a family on Saturday morning....we took the kiddos to a park in Dallas and they LOVED running wild.....I really wish we had a great park near our home!!

6. I still haven't figured out what my kids are going to be for Halloween.

7. My husband and I have been saying that we are going to go to New England in the Fall to see the leaves change.....we've been saying it for nine years!!

8. I am going to Bath & Body Works today to get a new candle thanks to Heidi's suggestion :)

9. I have totally fallen off the wagon on my Project 365 album.....I have been really bad about taking a photo a day....

10. When my little boy woke up from his nap yesterday (at about 3:00 pm), I walked into his room and he was sitting up in his crib, leaning against the back like he was just waiting patiently for me to come in, and when I walked in he said "Good Morning Mama!!"

a change in the air

The cooler weather is here (at least for today) and I LOVE it!! There is just something about cooler weather that gets me motivated......I am in the mood to bake, clean out closets, decorate, organize photos, shop, scrapbook and get together with friends!!

Here is our front door all decked out for Fall. We are planning on making a trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend, so very soon, our porch will be jam-packed with pumpkins of all colors! I can't wait!

In other news, I have completed my first lesson for Ali's Yesterday & Today class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking and it is definitely right up my alley!! One of our first tasks was to brainstorm a list of Stories I Want to Tell.......asking myself: If I were gone tomorrow, what stories would I want others to know about me and the life I have lived?

I think this is a great exercise for everyone, even non-scrapbookers. For me, it not only made me think about the stories I want to tell in my scrapbooks, but it made me think about traditions I want to start in the future, or ways that I want our family to evolve. Here is a partial list of stories I want to tell:

*Similarities between Sienna and I as children

* Our AM/PM routine

*Losing my brother and its effects on my life

* Life-tunes mini album = songs that have influenced my life (include song lyrics and journaling or photos to show how the song inspired or influenced me)

* How we chose our children's names

* Mini-book with bits of "life advice" = one for each of my kiddos to take with them when they leave home with great quotes, bible verses, values, advice, etc...

* My failures as a mother

* College Days/Law School Days

Family Traditions Then & Now

*Birthday Scrapbbok (start Grant's and add to Sienna's)

* When Daddy comes home at night

adventures in baking

Have you seen the movie "Julie & Julia" yet? It is such a cute movie and very inspirational. I for one, am NOT a chef....I can barely boil water!! I like the whole idea of cooking (the shows, the cookbooks, the gadgets) but I am just not very good at it. I do, however, enjoy baking......so I have decided to conduct my own little experiment by baking everything in the "Eat Dessert First" cookbook that we received at Creative Escape this year. It's a small, cute little book and everything in it sounds delicious!! No rules, no time limits, just a goal I have set for myself to bake everything in the entire book.....in order.

First up, Heidi Swapp's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Pre-heat oven to 350

Combine:

1 cup brown sugar (be sure it’s fresh. NO CLUMPS. Very important. Packed)
½ cup granulated sugar 
1 cup shortening (it has to be butter flavor Crisco…and I like the sticks)

combine that all in a mixer and mix until it’s nice and fluffy…
add in:

2 eggs
1 t. vanilla 

mix until it’s really fluffy
Then add:

2 cups flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

mix until it’s all combined, use a spatula to push down all the extra flour etc… 
don’t over mix this part…
then add in as many choc. chips as you feel comfortable

keep the cookie size smallish… like 2” ball.
Bake them for 11 minutes and then remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack

The Verdict: These cookies taste great and I was so proud of myself for actually baking them from scratch.....no break-n-bake for a change!! My husband loved them and said they tasted like fudge. Next time, I think I will try semi-sweet morsels instead of the milk chocolate for comparison. They were simple, quick and yummy....can't beat that :)