Perpetual Joy

Happy November!

Write it Down.

You know those cute things your kids say that you swear you will remember forever?
Well, I’m sad to say, you will not.
Take it from this mom who thinks she remembers everything.
You will forget when your three year old says, “Will you microphone my salad mom?” meaning microwave.  Then you’ll ask your hubby five minutes later what she said so you can write it down because you already forgot. 
Crazy. 

So about five years or so ago I bought these journals.
One for each girl to write to them throughout their little lives.  I write the fun things we do and the hilarious things they say, so that I will never ever forget. 

I will give each girl their special book when the graduate high school. 

Gracie will always know about the time she said this….

 

and how she loves to do “piles” with mom and the time we went to see “Chip WRACKED” at the theater.

She will get to read my memoires of her.  What a gift.
I feel if I had my parent’s written words about who I was as a toddler it would be one of my most precious possessions.

 

I write about their latest wardrobe trends….

their favorite activities…..

 

and how special they make every day for their mommy.

Steve writes in it as well.  So it will be double the fun to read on graduation day.

I write about their accomplishments….

  

 

and their courage.

I write what they learn about Jesus….

and random Wednesday nights.

I write about their favorite things…

and favorite memories that they talk about all the time…

 
  

Just in case these memories fade a little, they will always have our written words to remind them.
Remind them of who they were at age 1, 2, 3 , 4 and so on, but also remind them of where they come from. 
No matter where life takes them they will always have a piece of their past to reflect on at any time giving them the roots they need to soar. 

Here are a just a few things I thought were funny that I wanted to share from each of their journals:

Mia:

-September 2008, age 4: While flexing you say to me, “ I eat onions and tomatoes and am so healthy!”
-October 2008, age 4: After school one day you were eating lunch and you say, “Mommy I said a prayer at school today because my friend is sick.”
-October 2008, age 4: While watching ET you kept saying “This really freaks me out!”
-December 2008, age 4: “Gracie you look like your Daddy with all your bald!”
-November 2009, age 5: “Mom, I’m serious, very serious that you’re a good cook.  I gave you two seriouses!”
-August 2010, age 6: “Wow, Mom! These cookies are so good.  You’re going to be a good cook when you grown up because you are still young and have time to work on it.”
-July 2001, age 7: “No offense” often prefaces statements.
-Nov 2011, age 7: The day after Aunt Maggie’s wedding you were bawling.  Teary eyed you came up to me and said that it was such a special day and you wish we could do it all over again.

Sophie:
-October 2008, age 2: “How about tockolate milk today?”
-November 2008, age 2: “My belly doesn’t like butter toast, mom.”
-December 2008, age 2: “Cooby Doo!”
-July 2009, age 3: “My belly is still hungry.”
-Aug 2009, age 3: After I was crying when Mia got on the bus for her very first day of school you looked at me and said, “Mommy, don’t cry. I’m still here.”
-Sept 2009, age 3:  You always say “long kisses!!!” and kiss me for like 10 seconds straight!
Dec 2009, age 3: When  I was singing you looked up at me and said, “Mommy you have a good Boice.”
June 2010, age 4: “Mia your ice cream is Huge-E-Mongus!”
Aug 2010, age 4: Mr. Rogers show came on and you looked at me and said, “Mommy I’m afraid of this show because of the creeeeeepy clown.”
July 2011, age 5: “I feel guilty without my earring.”
-Sept 2011, age 5: “I would love to be a sponge.”
-Dec 2011, age 5: When drinking my coffee while driving the girls somewhere she says, “Mom you know you are not supposed to drink and drive.  It’s illegal.”

 

Gracie:
-April 2009, age 10 months: You do this fun game called Crazy Piggy where you snort and laugh!
-May 2009, age 11 months: Your first word is Uh Oh! You said it every time you drop your toys.
-July 2009, age 13 months: You fold your hands to pray.
-Feb 2010, age 20 months: You yell TOPICS after prayers are said to remind everyone that they have to say their own topic to discuss at the dinner table.
-Aug 2010, age 2: “You have to brush your nose, mom.” Instead of blow your nose.
-Nov 2010, age 2: “Grandpa’s house is cool.”
-July 2011, age 3: “I don’t want to go night night yet mom.  I promise I won’t be cabby.”
-Oct 2011, age 3: “Mom I can really chug!”
-Nov 2011, age 3: Taptoo = Tattoo
-Nov 2011, age 3: “Yuck mom, your breath smells like a raccoon!”  (PS I almost peed my pants after this one!)

So my assignment to you this week is to go to Target and buy some journals.
Start from the beginning.  Tell them about your pregnancy.  How you were feeling. 
What it was like when they entered your world. 

Then every month write down what your family has been up to and what adorable or crazy things they have done to make you smile or make you cry. 

Wrap it up on their graduation day and cry your eyes out. 
Are you in?

‘Tis the Season

 

For building a well.
Who is ready to help us do this again?

Just like last year, you can enter any of the amazing giveaway bundles that we will have next week by donating $10 to our Project 320 Well.
For every $10 donated, you can enter once to win any of the bundles. 
So one comment = one entry.
Get it? Easy peasy. 

Let’s do this.

I will have a fun little bundle next week that I’m pretty sure every single one of you will want to win.
It will be filled with clutches, zipper pouch wallets, dresses, Starbucks, rosette earrings and more!

Until then, here’s a little Christmas cheer from Haus of Girls.
Gracie Lou, brilliantly performing a rendition of Jingle Bells in her very own unique  sing-mumble fashion.
Enjoy!

 

They are watching you.

Just in case it slipped your mind, they are watching your every move.
They want to be just like you, act like you, treat people like you do, say the things you do.
You are their first teacher. 
Remember this always.

I was happily reminded of this fact as I watched Gracie “reading” one afternoon…

 

I wonder where she learned this cool “turn the pages better” trick?

gracie’s three!

 

It seems like yesterday I was lying in a hospital bed for the longest seventeen days of my life.
Trying to keep you in my belly until it was safe for you to come out. 
I went in for a routine thirty-one week checkup in April (1 cm dilated and 80% effaced) and wasn’t able to come back home until the next month. 
No walking.
No moving.
No going outside. 

When I finally was able to come home in May,  I felt so incredibly thankful to be able to live life normally again without feeling scared that you wouldn’t be ok.   I had made it through seventeen days of worrying and fear, and one night of actually going into labor resulting in having to have some creepy shot that completely stops all contractions. 

 

One of the last photos of me before you made your arrival on May 28th, 2008.
Large and in charge.

 

A few minutes after you arrived, after a few pushes, a few minutes after midnight. 

So happy you were finally safe in my arms.

Two very excited and proud big sisters that never wanted to let you go.

And now look how big you’ve grown.

 

 

Proudly showing your new age while eating your yummy birthday lunch at the lake.

 

  Nana even brought more Sunshine cookies to help us celebrate!

 

Happy Birthday to our funny, silly, sassy girl, Gracie!

A Sunshine Party

Guess who just turned three years old?!





You guessed it!
Gracie!

So we celebrated a few weeks ago, with a "Sunshine" themed party at the park. Her favorite color is still yellow, because of Ducky, so she randomly decided to have a Sunshine Party! It's all she talked about the entire month of May.

I whipped up this fun framed piece the day of the party. I took an old glassless frame that was in my basement and some used poster board. I spray painted the poster board yellow and cut it to fit in the opening of the frame. Then I cut out the fun words to Gracie's new favorite song, You Are My Sunshine.  Applying the words was a tad bit more difficult than I originally thought it would be, but so worth sweating to complete during my two hour chaotic nap time break. I thought this would the perfect extra touch for her party!

 

 

I found the perfect shirt at Target and just sewed some yellow tulle around the bottom to make it extra special!  She loved it so much and couldn’t stop twirling around…

 

 

Party favor bags were filled with yellow candy and on the sun tags I wrote, " Thanks for brightening my day! Love, Gracie"

I decided to just desserts only  for this party, which is a first for me, so I made some Oreo pops dipped in yellow candy coating, brownie covered Oreos, which are Gracie's favorite and yellow Funfetti cupcakes. I also had to have lemon heads to go with the yellow theme and my sister Adie made these cupcakes, with yellow icing, that were absolutely delish! Thank you Mel, for the amazing recipe!

The Sunshine cookies that my favorite mother in law Barb brought were a huge hit!
Gracie probably ate three....

One of her favorite gifts was the huge tub of cheese balls from my sister Maggie and her fiancé Austin.... they may or may not have been eaten within a few days.

Cake and ice cream time!

So excited!

Our annual cake pose. 

   

Look at all the cuties!

The playground next to our pavilion was perfect!

Cousins rule.

Neighbors rule.

Hugs rule.

 

Cutest couple ever, my sister Maggie and her fiancé, Austin.

 

Piñata time! 

Waiting patiently for their turn….

Go Meade boy!

Get it Abigail!   

And finally, after a very ironic WINDY and rainy Sunshine themed party, the sun came out…. just in time to set.
Here’s a cute shot of some of the kids playing whiffle ball with my sister Maggie, aka, Olympic Softball star and college All American ….

 

We even got some sunset pics with Haley’s camera.  Here is Hales and Jimmy modeling.

My friend Selena and her husband Paige posed as well.

And Steve and I getting a shot in front of the sunset.

And at the end of the party we were even so lucky to see this funky rainbow.
Just one stripe of color.  Too bad it wasn’t yellow!