"The Little Girl With A Curl"

There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
When she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid.

I love this nursery rhyme.  It very appropriately describes this child:

 Don't let these faces deceive you.  

She was very happy at the moment, the sun was just bright!

Every time that curl lands in the middle of her forehead, I think of the nursery rhyme.  This little girl lights up our world.  She is sweet and loving.  And very entertaining!  She has brought much joy and laughter into our home.

However, she is a feisty little thing!  As she has approached her second birthday (which is only 3 days away!), she has given us a new definition of the "terrible twos."  She's a new experience.  Emma definitely presented her own challenges at this age--Abby's just presenting hers in a whole new way.  

BUT, the good is SO good, that I will take the bad that comes with it.  And pray the Lord helps me mold that strong, determined personality into one that will honor Him as she grows.  Oh, how I love this little girl!  And I am daily thankful for the blessing my children are!

Bittersweet Moments

We are leaving for vacation with Robby's family this coming Saturday.  Because of that, Emma is missing her last day of preschool and the end-of-the-year program, which are both next Tuesday.  I was not looking forward to missing the end of her 3K year.  But I kept telling myself, "It'll be fine, it's just preschool," hoping I would actually believe it.  

A few weeks ago, I realized her class was practicing for the program almost every day.  So I spoke with the preschool director, and she graciously allowed me to come this morning to watch their last practice.  Emma gets a little timid when she's on stage, so even with me, my mama, and my sister being the only audience members, it took her a little while to warm up.  But she finally joined in with the rest of the children and sang, did the pledges, and quoted her memory verses.   

Last year at this time, I really debated whether or not to send Emma to 3-year-old preschool.  I didn't want to send her just because that seems to be the thing to do now.  What finally made my decision was (1) it was only 3 hours, 2 mornings a week and (2) I knew I could pull her out if it wasn't working.  Well, she LOVED every second of it.  And that timid personality I mentioned--this year did wonders for that!  She has thrived in preschool!  I think she's in denial that she doesn't get to go to school this summer! :-)

I cannot believe how fast this year has gone.  My sweet little girl has finished her first year of "school."  Wow!  I can only imagine how fast the next 14  years are going to go, and I know when I sit at her high school graduation it'll feel like I wrote this post only yesterday.  How is it that our children make time go so much faster???

I'll finish with a few pictures.   

 First Day of School, back in August

 

Last Day of School, on stage with her classmates

This is the face she gets when she's uncomfortable

But she perked up and join in the singing

Seven Years

Today is mine and Robby's 7th Anniversary.  It's hard to believe how quickly the last 7 years have gone!  Our lives have changed quite a bit since May 15, 2004.  I'm looking forward what what the next 7 years will bring.

Every day I am thankful that God brought us together.

Happy Anniversary, Robby O'Dell!!

The Last Two Weeks

May is already half way over, and I don't know where it's gone!  I cannot believe how fast the last two weeks have flown.  We have this week coming up, when Emma finishes her first year of preschool, and the next week, when we will be on vacation.  Then it's June -- holy cow!  

We've had a lot going on this month, and I've gotten a little behind on my posting.  So let's see...

We moved Abby to her new room and her new bed in preparation for the baby's arrival.  We wanted her to be well settled before he gets here.  It took her a few days, but overall she's done very well.  

Her first night, FINALLY asleep!

One of her first nap times was spent unloading the clothes in her dresser.

After falling out 2 of the first 4 nights, we completely blocked her in.  She's done much better since we added the second two rails (yes, the one at the foot of the bed is necessary--she fell off the end the second time!).  We're wondering if it makes her feel more like being in her crib?

Mother's Day felt like it slipped up on my this year.  We had a nice weekend at home, and my girls and Robby gave me a gift certificate for a prenatal massage.  I'm definitely looking forward to that!!!

Next, this past Thursday, I had another ultrasound to check the position of our little man.  And Praise the Lord, he is head down!!!  He is still healthy and growing rapidly!  He is almost 5 lbs, and the ultrasound tech said he could double his weight between now and the end.  My only thought was, "Say WHAT?!"  She actually used the words "ten pounds."  I'm hoping and praying she has overestimated.  After 6.5 and 7 lb babies, I can't imagine having one that big!  We'll see, I guess...

Finally this weekend, my sister and mama hosted a baby shower for me.  There isn't a whole lot I need this time around, but there were a few things.  The shower was very nice and we had a great group of ladies join us.  My extremely talented sister painted the letters of Will's name to match the bedding.  It's finally sinking in that we're having a boy.

 No more pink gingham!

Many thanks to my amazing sis!

Not quite finished, but at least it's on it's way to looking like a boy room.

I think that hits the the major details of the last two weeks.  I may have to do another two week post once we get home from vacation.  We'll see how this week goes...

A Wise Man?

Over the weekend, Robby and I watched the Royal Wedding.  While we were watching it, Robby commented that he thought Emma would like to watch some of it, too.  So last night I watched it with her.  We watched Princes William and Harry leave the Clarence House, Kate's mother & brother leave the Goring Hotel, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace, many others, and finally Kate leave the Goring Hotel all for their drive to Westminster Abbey.  I told her all about who they were and explained about real life royalty (as opposed to Disney!).  She wanted to know where the horses were.  (I guess she got that from Disney?)  So she was excited when I told her that there would be lots of horses after the wedding as the bride and groom rode in a carriage back to Buckingham Palace.  

She enjoyed watching Kate get out of her car and make her long walk down the aisle to Prince William.  But when the Archbishop of Canterbury stepped up to have them take their vows, Emma said, "Mama, is that one of the wisemen that went to see baby Jesus?"  When I told her that he wasn't, she said, "Well, he looks like one!"  :-)  I don't know where she's gotten her impression of the wisemen, but I guess the archbishop is what she thinks they look like.  If you go here, you can see a picture of him standing in front of William and Kate.  It's not the best picture, and it's from behind, but you can fully see why his outfit may have confused her. 

I love when my children do and say things like that.  It was just too cute and too funny!

If you watched the royal wedding, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  I was very impressed with the spiritual nature of the wedding and the sermon.  It was not just a standard "Do you take this woman..." kind of wedding.  Rather it discussed the importance of marriage and the vows taken under God.  It also included quite a bit about Jesus and went deeper than surface level preaching.  

We also enjoyed seeing all of the hats and fascinators.  Some were tasteful and elegant.  Some were down right hilarious because they were so terrible!  If you didn't see any of the wedding coverage, check out some of the head decorations here.

Overall, Robby and I had a good time watching history in the making, and I enjoyed watching it again with Emma.  I think every little girl dreams of marrying a prince, and seeing Kate Middleton realize that childhood fantasy was pretty neat!