Our Box of Memories

Love this idea!!

FamilyFun
February 2010 p. 38

Our family is going to start this idea - Our Box of Memories - on February 1. I love the idea along with taking photos each day or a photo each week to record every day life

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I love the idea of recording just a sentence or two to record every day life - and the idea of recording a child's favorite thing on a given day, or a milestone. This is doable for me!!!!!

Sunday Stuff

Yes, it's 10:50a.m. and I'm at home.  Yes, that is unusual.  Yes, I have a sick child.  Elizabeth has the stomach virus that Bitsy had Wednesday. 

Remember my post here about Christopher? He's the baby born on 11/30 who was waiting for a heart.  Did you catch that?  He was waiting.  He's no longer waiting!  He had a heart transplant yesterday!!!!  We continue to pray for him and his family - including extended family - who love him dearly.  We also pray for the donor family, who through unimaginable grief through the loss of their precious baby, gave this precious baby the gift of life. 

I was going to try to do Project 365 again this year (a photo a day for an entire year) but decided I don't need the pressure.  So, I flipped and will do a photo a week.  That, I can handle.  :) I thought I would share my photos for the first three weeks (my first week started December 27).

Week One - December 27, 2009 through January 2, 2010:

Four. Five. Six.

For 12 days - December 22 through January 2 - my girls are consecutive ages.  I always try to get a photo of them together during this time.  Sweet girls. Silly girls!

Week Two - January 3 through January 9, 2010 (you've seen this one already):

The Apple of my eye!

Love this boy like crazy. I'm trying to really enjoy him as he goes through each age and stage - because unless God intervenes, he'll be our last baby.  He's such a precious little guy!  The apple hat he's wearing is one my friend Kay crocheted from a pattern she designed for the Ravelry community (it's a social network of knitters and crocheters) and the outfit was my youngest nephew's when he was a little guy (Sam is almost 13).  It has been bitterly cold here for the past couple of weeks and we needed to get out today to take dinner to our friends, the Schroeders, I knew this would keep Harrison warm and look cute, too.  I know Elizabeth's birthday fell during this week (Jan 3); however, her party is next week and so I'll use her photo for next week!

Week Three - January 10 through January 16, 2010:

The Birthday Party Girl

Here is Elizabeth, ready for her birthday party.  We had the party at my parents' house where we had a "make your own sundae" bar instead of birthday cake and ice cream.  Elizabeth chose ivory (vanilla) bowls, chocolate brown napkins, and strawberry pink cups.  We served vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and Neapolitan ice cream (just in case someone wanted all three in one scoop rather than a scoop of each), chocolate and strawberry syrups, caramel and cupcake "Magic Shell" topping, all sorts of sprinkles, white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, whipped cream and cherries.  We also gave the girls the opportunity to have a root beer float instead (no takers...don't blame them...yech! Why ruin perfectly good ice cream with root beer?! Ick) - or an ice cream cone.  Several girls ate the cones "on the side" with their sundaes.  My wonderful nieces were there to help with the party, which was nice.  Instead of bringing gifts to the birthday girl, we asked the girls who attended to bring a donation to the church library fund.  We are going to order some children's books for our church library - probably some of these.  It was a great day!

Baby, It's Coooooooooold Outside

Last week it was bitterly cold here - as it was throughout most of the nation. 

We had prepared dinner for our friends who are waiting for a heart for their baby/grandson/nephew and I had to take it to the Eye Center for Papa to take home (because apparently they live on the "edge of the earth" and kindly are sparing everyone the drive, LOL).  I bundled up the kids - making sure everyone had hats, gloves, coats, all the required cold-weather-we're-totally-unprepared-for gear. 

I put Harrison in the little fleece, Baby Gap outfit that had been my nephew's (he's almost 13). Once he was dressed, I realized his apple hat would look so cute with it.  And it did...don't you think?  I had to chase him all over the family room to get pictures...

We're still in a state of upheaval after taking down all the Christmas decorations and working on cleaning the carpets...and this would be why you see the vacuum in the background.  :)  (too hard to clone it out) 

Carpets in the family room are cleaned and now we're ready to move everything back in place.  I dread moving the TV like you cannot imagine because it is so heavy and I'm such a weakling - plus there's the whole "TV-fell-and-busted-to-pieces" drama from this time last year. I seriously don't want to go there again. Ever. But, I'm also anxious to get my family room back in order now so I'm going to have to find the strength to do it. 

Vocabulary at 21.5 months

Harrison is really starting to talk - with words that are pretty understandable by anyone and some that are understandable only by Mommy.

1. Ma = Yours truly. Lovely. I'm "Ma!" (it's hilarious to hear him say it) Sometimes I do get "Mama" but most often it's just "Maaaaaaaaa! Maaaaaaaaaaaaa!" until I answer.
2. Dada = Daddy, of course
3. Si-ter = Sister = Elizabeth and only Elizabeth
4. NinNin = Katherine
5. Annie = Annie
6. Car, ball, truck = because he's a boy
7. I uh you = I love you {melt} He just said it to Elizabeth and I thought she was going to cry because she was so excited.
8. Weh ah dey? = Where are they? or "Weh ah {sister's name}"
9. Deh dey ah! = There they are!
10. Deh I ah = Here I am (in response to "Where is Harrison?" so funny to hear him pop out of his bedroom when I call him and say, "Deh I ah!" )
11. Sissa = Alyssa - the daughter of a friend, she works in the nursery and he looooves her!
12. Boo = Boop, if he's talking about my mom, Boots if he's watching Dora
13. Dohda = Dora
14. Mote = remote (he is a boy!!!)
15. Foo-ball!!! = football (he's ALL boy!!!)
16. "Poopoo! Phew! Yuck!" = Closing in on time to potty train!!!!
17. Bye-bye
18. Ni-ni = night-night
19. Pooh = Winnie-the...
20. 'Cout = Scout The Leapfrog doggie he got from my aunt for Christmas. He loves Scout!
21. Foul ball! = just that - usually repeated after his daddy says it or he hears it on Wii
22. Dink = drink
23. Ba = what he calls his favorite pillow
24. nurse = because he's still not weaned and that's okay.  :)
25. thank you = I'm so pleased that he says this unprompted! Sweet boy.
26. please = this is his "Sleestack" sound
27. cheese = this is also his Sleestack sound
28. church!!!! = in unison with the girls when we get to the entrance of our church parking lot

and any other words that I listed previously and have forgotten because I have Swiss cheese for a brain.  :)  

The truly important things....

On days when I feel overwhelmed, the Lord is quick to bring to mind my friends, George and Shannon, as they await a new heart for their baby boy, Christopher - born on 11/30/09. Here is a video put together by their cousin, Allyson. There is a photo in the slideshow of all the equipment at Christopher's bedside...I gasped when I saw it - and the sobs began (tears were already going). All of this to keep that precious baby boy alive while waiting for a new heart. I just can't imagine how weary Shannon must be - taking care of two older children while loving on this sweet little one...all without her husband, who must be tending to business on the West Coast...I just cannot imagine. Please pray for this sweet family - and for the family who will be experiencing unimaginable grief as they give Christopher the gift he needs to live.

a day with Christopher - Saturday, December 2, 2009 from Allyson Stephens on Vimeo.

January 3rd

Seven years ago I held in my arms the someone I'd prayed for for over 10 years. And I couldn't believe she was mine. She was precious. Brad and I spent the next forty-eight hours awake. I think we each got about 15 minutes of sleep - we were running on pure adrenaline. We were over-the-moon excited to have our baby girl.

Elizabeth Jane, I marvel every year at what a sweet, tender child you are. You are compassionate beyond your years - something that many of our friends have noticed. You are definitely the Professional Big Sister and you take such good care of your younger siblings...even when they might not want you to do so. :) I love how you say, "No, I amn't" instead of "No, I'm not." I love how deep your little voice is. I love that "Holy, Holy, Holy" is one of your favorite hymns - and I remember how you used to sing it to Annie when she was a baby and would cry. I love to hear you sing "Blessed Be Your Name." I love that you are so considerate of others. I love to stand in the loft at church and watch as you play with the big girls in Care Group - but at the same time it hurts me because I see how shy you are and I know that if any of the girls would reach out to you they'd see what a good friend you are. I am thankful that you are respectful of adults. I am thankful that you love God's Word...and I am humbled by that. Happy, happy birthday, big girl! I love you with all my heart and I am so glad to be your Mommy.

January 2nd

Tonight is the big family bonfire at my aunt's house.  We're looking forward to it. Good food, great fun with family, watching the Liberty Bowl.  I'll take photos while I'm there.  Today is my "FOUR. FIVE. SIX." photo day.  It's the last day my girls are 4, 5, and 6 - E turns SEVEN tomorrow!  Seven!?!  It's too much to think about how quickly that time has passed. 

I'm going to try Project 365 again this year.  Last year was a dismal failure.  I did great until I got the *one* thing I'd really hoped to capture - Harrison's first steps -- and that was in FEBRUARY!  It was downhill from there. 

So, taking a cue from my friend Traci Reed - I'm going to do a theme for each day. 

Sunday - Family Free-for-all

Monday -Elizabeth

Tuesday - Katherine

Wednesday -Me

Thursday - Annie

Friday  Harrison

Saturday - Brad

I'm going to do Sunday - Saturday weeks - so I'm actually going to start my P365 for 2010 tomorrow - January 3.  Of course, my "schedule" is just a loose outline and I won't get OCD about it.  I'm also thinking about ordering Becky Higgins' Project Life kit.  If I do it digitally, the pages and photos will never see the light of day, I'm afraid.  I once heard Stacy Julian say, "Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be pixels.  In other words, print your photos!" 

Cheers!

Welcome 2010! I love Harrison's little cup in there with our glasses (and that's sparkling white grape juice for everyone)