A packet of Push toys, Sunflower seeds, and encouragement

Mom bought Sophie a new walking/ pushing around toy. Is this not the absolute cutest push toy ever?! She loves it!

My sweet little baby, already 7 1/2 months and already trying to walk!

And yes the tongue sticking out, definitely helps with learning to walk!

This is a very silly picture of Loraly and her friend, Jordan in their beautiful dress up outfits standing by the sunflowers. Earlier this summer we decided that we were going to attempt a vegetable garden. We started from seeds! It was a great project for the girls. And our plants are doing great but our wild bunnies in the neighborhood are enjoying all of our veggies! While at the store picking up seeds, Loraly spotted a packet of mixed sunflower seeds. SHE HAD TO HAVE IT! So we got it home, she immediately took it outside, and poured it into my little flower garden in front of the pool.---THE ENTIRE PACKAGE---ALL IN ONE SPOT! Oh well, look at how tall and colorful her gorgeous sunflowers came out! The pictures don't do the size of these flowers justice! They are about as big around as a grapefruit or bigger!

If you are still scrolling down to look at my pictures, I want to talk about something...we have had some life changing things happen in our house in the last few days. I don't want to talk about them, but I do need some prayers on how to handle them. We have some serious choices to make in the near future and they are not easy ones. Please pray for Mark and I to make the right decisions.

WE NEED SOME SERIOUS SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT!

One year...

I don't even know where to begin...This last year (wow, hard to even say that it has been an entire year!) has been the hardest I have had being a mother. Dealing with death is hard enough as an adult but helping your 6-7 year old child deal with it is astronomically more difficult. We began talking to Madalyn about Paul dying around the age of 4 because it was always a thought that it could possibly happen. In my mind I always knew it would happen, but it was a definite shock to my heart. She always acted fine with him going to Heaven until it actually happened. The funeral was difficult for both her and I. They showed a video debuting Paul's life. Madalyn was throughout the video. That tore me up. The thought of this HUGE part of my daughter's life is now gone----and gone forever! She still to this day won't talk about Paul except on her terms and when she brings him up and unfortunately it is not very often. She still loves him dearly and misses him something terrible. This may be selfish but wasn't he supposed to be her "THE ONE?" Will there be another "THE ONE" for her?

And Paul's parents---I can't and don't even want to know what they have been through this last year. Watching their other sons grow up without their brother, them getting older without watching their son grow also. My heart aches so bad for this family tonight along with every other night they have to spend without Paul.

Tomorrow will be one year...

I remember that day like it is currently happening. I cried and wept all day. I blamed it on being pregnant. Mark and Loraly would ask me if I was ok all day---I just kept saying that it didn't seem real or fair! Paul was supposed to be the one that was healed. Little did I know or realize at that time was that HE WAS HEALED! Just not in the way that most of us here on Earth wanted him to be. He was healed in a much stronger way than any of us can imagine! Glory be to God!

Paul, we miss you! You are and will always be the light of Madalyn's life! I look at your pictures and I still remember the love between Madalyn and you. Please watch over her in a greater power than I can. Madalyn wishes and prays for you every night when she sees your star shining in the sky next to God's!

Love you...

Note to self...

Just a few cute pictures taken on July 4th while waiting for the fireworks to start.

Loraly
Sophie
Madalyn

This picture does not do this justice!!! AT ALL! Sophie was taking her afternoon nap, and the girls were watching a movie during their rest time, so I laid on the couch and shortly after fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up Mark was home, Sophie was awake, and Loraly saw an ant on the fireplace and took it upon herself to use an entire box of wipes to cover the fireplace "to keep the other ants out" in her words. I could not get upset at her because it was the cutest thing and very thoughtful of her! Look how proud she is of herself in the picture!

Bad Mother of the YEAR?

I took Madalyn to the Doctor today because she has been complaining that she is dizzy, "her head is popping", runny green nose, etc. So he diagnosed her with just a bad sinus infection and her ears were not infected but didn't look great either.

So Sophie felt warm this afternoon and has had a runny nose today. I asked if he minded taking a look at her ears 'since we were already there' but he usually will not do this type thing for me. HE DID TODAY and thank God he did! He said her left ear was fine but her right ear was "extremely" infected. I have never heard him explain her ears the way he did today and the look on his face, I had never seen either! I FELT HORRIBLE to say the least. I had no idea that something was going on with her! So here we are, home with 2 of our 3 kids on antibiotics!

This is a definite 'Have to read'!

I found this blog off my mom's. If you have never read this story, it is truly amazing, heart lifting, inspiring, etc.

You definitely have to start from the beginning: http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

She lifts my spirit every time I just open her blog!

Sophie has a new trick!

Sophie has learned to pull up to standing in her crib. I lowered the mattress but guess what she can still do it!
The girls after swimming!
2 very good friends gave Sophie this precious hooded towel along with a matching wash rag for a baby gift. Doesn't she look cute as a button in it?

Check out my Slide Show!