2011 Diva Fashion Sleepover

Lots and lots of wild and crazy girls.  Happy BirthMONTH children...can't wait for Christmas!

Friday Friendly Fun...Random Facts #3

Since I have already written two posts this week and still have to do one for Keegan, I really don't want to write one for Friday Fun.  (Sorry, just being honest)  But for the few people that follow via google reader, as a follower, or email subscription rather than clicking on the facebook link, I'll do a quick one for you guys:)

I'm picking to do a Random Facts though since it's fun and easy! I think it's number 3?

• My favorite color is purple.  The combination of blue and red has been my favorite color since I can remember! RGB (111,167,214), the one on this post, is the closest shade to my favorite I could find on blogger.
• I honestly believe that I am able to the difference between Desani water and other bottled water.  I like it better and think I could pass a taste test to prove it.
• I'm singing in a concert December 17th that I am really excited about.  Not my performance, but some of the other people that are singing are amazing! I'm really hoping the person that I want to accompany me says yes because I would like to get to know her better:)  Mark your calenders, it should be a great concert!
• I am having 12 little girls over tonight (if it were up to Lilly it would be 52)...15 kids, eight years old and under...fun fun fun!
• I started reading the Janet Evanovich series that starts with "One for the Money".  I'm currently reading Book 3 ("Three to Get Deadly") and LOVE IT.  I want to be a bounty hunter! If you haven't read any of her books, you should try them!  (Thanks Marci!)
• I have never received a speeding ticket, but I have been arrested:)

That's all I can come up with today!  Happy Friday!!!

Happy 7th Birthday Lil!

Lilly

Inspires

a Life full of

Laughter, Love and Joy

Yahoo!

Lilly read Camille's birthday post and now she can't wait to read hers...I hope I don't disappoint her! 

From the time Lilly Ayers Strong made her entrance into this world she has been a gift that never stops giving.  1:17 in room 711 on 11/17 (She will probably ask to know the exact second, too)! I remember moving back home, into the half-way house, and being consumed with fear and doubt. Soon I would be responsible for another human being, so tiny and small.  I didn't think I was ready.  I didn't know if I could do it.

I distinctly remember the little blue bath tub with green mesh, that fit so perfectly into the kitchen sink at our apartment above my Granny's house. I remember how a look of concern furrowed Lilly's eyebrow every time I carefully undressed her and placed her in the tub.  She would gaze at me, rarely crying, but always with a look of wonder and concern; as if she was deep in thought, even when she was barely a week old.  Why are you putting me into this water?  I like to be wrapped in the warm blanket and snuggled close to your heart, why are you taking off my clothes and dropping me into the unknown? As I comforted my baby, as I convinced her to trust me, I was also convincing myself that I could do it.  As I gained confidence in my ability to be trusted with this precious gift, I vowed to protect her, to the best of my ability, for as long as she will let me; to feed the wonder and excitement and to challenge her each day to be the best person she can be.

 Some of her facial expressions are the exact same as I remember from the very first months that we brought her home so teeny tiny...I could do without some of the new ones that she has learned (Eye rolling-where could she have picked that up? Must be school;)). The wonder is still very present and visible to the naked eye, no matter what task is at hand.  She still furrows her brow when she is deep in thought, when she isn't sure what the next step is or if she thinks she's right and whoever is talking is wrong!

She loves to be challenged and wants to do her very best at each activity she participates in.  She loves to sing and dance.  She takes her routines and performances very seriously, but smiles the most genuine, fun smile while she is on stage.  She likes to be the center of attention...I don't know where she gets that either! Must be school.

Reading is currently her passion.  She picks up her book as soon as she gets off of the bus and tunes the rest of the world out as she absorbs all the fun new ideas and concepts that are played out in the story lines.  She has always enjoyed reading, but lately it's all that she wants to do. She reads out loud to Camille and Keegan with inflection and expression; better than the majority of adults I have heard read out loud.

Other than when she is extremely tired, Lilly is wonderful with her siblings.  She helps them pick out clothes, put on shoes, holds their hand and so much more.  She is kind and caring to everyone she meets...sometimes because I make her, but most of the time because she wants to.  Thoughtfulness comes almost as easy to her as walking and talking did.  If she's in a bad mood it never lasts longer than 15 minutes. Her laugh is infectious. She remembers Everything. She has more friends than I do.  She's fun and funny and cherished by so many.

But what I love the most about my Little Lilly is our special bond.  She's too cool for everyone else’s kisses, but not mine.  She's too grown up to sit on people's laps, but not mine.  She gags when she doesn't want to eat something, just like I used to. We argue each night about who loves who more and I always end with loving her to infinity.  Lilly is one of a kind. She changed my life forever and I have no doubt she will continue to do so.  It is both my honor and my pleasure to be called her Mother.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

Mother's Love

Thankful for my Mom.

 

BECAUSE:

·     She doesn't allow life to make her bitter.  She's YOUNG and has already lost so many of her loved ones.  She's been the caretaker for too many for too long...but she smiles through it.

·     When I am out of line, she doesn't hesitate to tell me.

·     She is an amazing example of what you do for your loved ones. (I hope I can be as positive in like 50 years when I put in her a nursing home because I HATE going there...she goes 3-7 times a week).

·     She still loves me after the way I treated her from the ages 15-23.  (I might have thrown a shoe at her when she threw me a surprise 16th birthday party...I MIGHT still yell at her when she doesn't deserve it).

·     She knows how to have a good time...and sings a mean karaoke "Love Shack".

·     She is young enough and more than willing to take my monsters to the park, to the nursing home, to plays, to read to them, to deal with their tantrums.

·     She's learning when her advice is wanted and when I am not in the mood to hear it. 

·     She calls...even when it's hard to pick up the phone.  (Not just when I'm being stubborn, but with everyone that she loves).

·     She taught me how to play euchre.

·     She wishes I was a lawyer and Jake was a doctor...she's satisfied with a paralegal and nurse:)

·     She always ends the conversation with I Love You.

·     When she is hurt, she doesn't let on.

·     From a young age she stressed the importance of getting to know a person before passing judgment.

·     She knows more children songs than anyone I know...and I learned to love and appreciate "When I Grow Up"

Mostly, I am thankful that she taught me, by example, how to be a wonderful mother.

Mom, I love you.

http://youtu.be/MXQTWCTc0aI

LOVE PJ

I have been uber emotional this week. The weekend is jam-packed with events and will most likely prove to be emotionally exhausting as well. I don't know if it's because I have been so busy the past few weeks and the rush of emotions are all trying desperately to break free, all at once, or what!?

I don't know why I'm posting this either...maybe so people know that I'm not rainbows and sunshine all the time...I don't know. I wasn't even brave enough to watch the slide show tonight.

Anyways, my song of choice tonight is Wishlist (PJ)...on repeat on the drive home from set up.  I so wish I was a messenger and all the news was good! Sick of the bad news...hopefully a good nights sleep will allow me to put my game face on for the important event and sell lots and lots of raffle tickets. We need a cure.

http://youtu.be/8r01YiEgNa0

I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me. 

Friday's Friendly Fun:Trust and Believe through the worry

Trust and Believe Through the Worry

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

I hate how everything seems to be going well; everything is calm, everyone is coasting along, trying to live each day to the fullest...until you aren't.  Until you can't. Until you are stuck in the hospital recovering from surgery and dealing with a difficult diagnosis.  Until you are told your baby will need potent chemo and yucky steroids and truckloads of antibiotics.  Until you lose your sister.  Until the doctor can't find what they need to find and can't answer your questions.  Until you are waiting for test results. Until you are counting down the days until your treatment is done rather than the days until Christmas. Until you so want to be excited and hopeful about new life or the possibility of new life, but you're still hesitant and filled with doubt. Until you try to focus on the happy thoughts of raising money for a wonderful cause and hope for a cure, but really just wish you didn't have to fight for the cure or think about the horrid disease at all. Until you can't breathe.

I've been saving this story in my heart for when I thought someone really needed it, for a really big "until then" moment.  Because when I heard the story, it warmed my heart.  As a friend told her story, standing so beautifully as we watched our kids play in the sun, she made me believe in hope and true love and fighting for the people and causes you care about. This week, I really need it. Some of the people that I love dearly really need it, so I'll share.  Mostly because I want to hear "I can't believe it" in a "WOW, that is awesome, I can't believe that story is true!" rather than "I can't believe it, he is so healthy" or "he is so young, how can this be true?"

Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Over a decade ago, a cute, young girl agreed to a date with an older boy. The sweet girl knew the older boy from high school, but more as an acquaintance than anything else.  The older boy had already graduated from high school, but I'm positive he was still considered a "Big Man on Campus" as he excelled in athletics and he's still good looking in his thirties, so I have no doubt he was a stud in his day;)

As the sweet girl prepared for her date, I'm sure she was filled with excitement. At the age of eighteen you have the whole world in front of you!  I witnessed the enthusiasm and wonder in my cousins eyes as we celebrated her birthday this week. I can only imagine that Cheryl had the same sparkle in her eye at that age.  I have no doubt that she was overflowing with this same enthusiasm and wonder as she prepared for her date at a Haunted House.  Haunted Houses are fun, even if the date did turn out to be lame!

If you can remember far enough back to your days in high school, you can probably remember that the days can be long with school and extra curricular activities.  The day of her first date wasn't any different for Cheryl.  She went to school, went to swim practice and by the time she started the date, she was tired!  As the frightening Haunted House drew closer to the end, the exhaustion overwhelmed her small body.  Her young, strong date ended up carrying her to the car.

She didn't feel any better throughout the weekend.  The excitement of her date was overshadowed by her extremely pale, almost translucent skin. The butterflies weren't just from wonder about her first date, but also because she didn't have an answer as to why she was exhausted.  The testing started.  A confirmed diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).  

Devastation, despair, worry, anxiety, depression, complication, crisis, uncertainty, nail biting. Why? How? NOT FAIR!

Who strutted into the hospital, face covered with concern and care?  This young boy that had only taken her on one date!  Personally, I don't know of many 20 year old BOYS that would be standing in line to visit the hospital after one date at a Haunted House.  I don't know many young men that would stick around to witness the brutal treatment plan a person that wants to beat leukemia must endure after one date. Jeff was already a man at 20.  He was there for Cheryl for all of the bad tricks (and pricks and vomiting and mood swings and swollen face...you know, the complete hell that you are forced to live through in order to beat cancer), but now, over a decade later, he gets to enjoy all of the TREATS!!  

Although they haven't been back to a haunted house in twelve years (as it is considered to be "bad juju"), they do live their lives to the fullest.  They are doting parents to two beautiful girls.  They enjoy spending time with their family.  They kick our behinds in sand volleyball. They support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society along with many other charities.  The long term effects of the rigorous treatment plan Cheryl endured while she was only in her teens are few and completely manageable.

Psalm 5:11-12
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
   let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
   that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

 ¹² Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;

   you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

As I say my prayers tonight, as I struggle each day to find the positive and to enjoy each sunrise, it still helps to hear stories of triumph and hope and love.  Praying fervently for many of my friends tonight.  Praying that they can remember stories like this one of love and hope and cures. Praying that others can feel my support as they say goodbyes, go to appointments, receive test results and endure treatments. Hoping that they feel can feel God's hand in theirs and allow that feeling to take some of the worry away and replace the worry with hope and faith.

Trust and Believe through the worry.

Happy Birthday Cam!

Caring

Affectionate

Messy

Intelligent

Lovable

Lively

ENJOYED

Camille Marie Strong is 4 today and I love her more than words can say! Happy Birthday, Princess! From the time her internal alarm clock sounds early in the morning and she sneaks into bed with me until I tuck her in to bed each night and plead with her to shut her eyes, she brings joy and love to my life. 

A few of the reasons I love her:

•  I love it when she thinks I'm sleeping and she plays with my hair and tells me that she loves so much. 
• I love it when she is being tickled and she can't breathe or talk because she is laughing so hard. 
• I love it that seconds after Keegan is mean or hurts her, she stands up for him. 
• I love that she misses my Dad. 
• I love the way she dances and sings.
• I love the way she imitates Lilly and wants to be like her big sister.
• I love that she is gaining confidence in herself and finding her own style. 
• I love that when I catch her doing something wrong she acts like she was doing something else.
• I love searching for butterflies, peace signs, princesses, rainbows and candy when I brush her teeth.
• I love that she wakes up early so that she can get in her Mommy time.

10 of the 10 million reasons that I love my little princess.  Happy Birthday, Baby Girl.  Mommy is thankful for each hug and every smile, for the most kissable cheeks, for your hand that is always outstretched waiting to be held. Mommy is more thankful for you more than you will ever know.