Creating the soundtrack

The pictures in my mind

2012-01-29T18:18:00.000-05:00

Going through some papers tonight, I ran across a letter a sweet woman wrote to encourage me when we found out we were pregnant with Lily and were terrified beyond belief. I couldn't imagine carrying a baby while I still had one, being sick for another nine months, and then how could we afford (time or energy) having two babies at once?? The words of her letter to me have come true, and as I look at this picture of these two sisters who so dearly love each other, I'm so very glad that I'm not in charge.

I posted that on Facebook a few weeks ago, and thought of it again as I was going through our most recent photos.

There are so many scenes (so many not even captured on camera) that I pray will be forever etched in my mind... pictures of little girls at play together...

Pictures of little girls getting ready for bed and giggling into the wee hours of the night...

And pictures of just those moments where you aren't doing anything in particular... just livin'...

I could not be more grateful for our sweet little family.

The Christmas that kept on giving

2012-01-28T18:11:00.005-05:00

The girls got one final present on New Year's Eve, when "Auntie" Jen came into town.

I feel incredibly blessed to have a best friend who loves my children so much.

The girls love it, and I imagine they'll enjoy it even more as the years go by...

Mike doesn't know what to make of the fact that every time we clean up the doll house, this is how he finds the daddy:

No comment.

A box of miracles

2012-01-19T20:55:00.001-05:00

When we moved into our house six years ago, we painted every room in the house - except our own. I spend a LOT of time in our bedroom. Since the girls came along and we gave up our office, there's really no good place to work in our house. And since I work half-time from home, that's a lot of hours in our bedroom, in addition to the normal bedroom activities. (Sleeping, people! Get your minds out of the gutter!)

Anyway, the time has come to give that room a face lift, so after weeks of poring over paint swatches and samples and comparing fabrics, the weekend has finally arrived for the Great Bedroom Makeover. We're shipping the girls off to Grandma and Poppa's house for the weekend so we can get 'er done. (Before and after pics will definitely follow!)

In anticipation of this weekend, I've been trying to clean out the piles in our bedroom as time allows. But there's been one box I've been avoiding. The Diabetes Box. This is the box that I threw all of the books, packets of paperwork, extra medical supplies... even Rufus, the diabetic bear... into when we got Amelia's second "kind of diagnosis" of no diabetes. It's just been sitting there in the corner of our room because I don't know what to do with it.

I thought maybe I'd magically know what to do with it when the time came. And the time came tonight. But I still don't know. I pulled everything out. Then I cried. Then I put everything back in.

What do you do when you feel like you've been given a get out of jail free card, but there's no 100% guarantee your number won't be called again?

And perhaps even bigger for me, that box represents a real turning point in my faith. I've never shared this with anyone other than a couple of my closest friends, but a year and a half ago, something happened that completely shook my faith, more than any other event in my life up to that point. I was rattled to the point of complete depression and nearly threw in the towel on this God stuff.

There, I said it.

But. I didn't. Somehow, when I was truly at the last sip of the last straw, God drew me back in. It wasn't sudden. It was very gradual. But I started reaching out for help with some people I trusted. And I took some other steps to get my head and emotions back into a healthier place. It took time. Then God opened the doors for me to start writing more and more - which is so healing for me. Not to mention, most of what I write is based on His Words, so talk about faith-building.

It was all happening, slowly, and then... BAM.

Amelia. Diabetes.

But here's the thing. What should have broke the camel's back only gave the camel Strength. For somewhere, deep inside, that Faith that I had almost given up on suddenly became The.Only.Thing I could count on. When I thought my baby might be terribly sick, my heart broke into a million pieces, and some of those pieces may always be missing. But my Faith, my God, well, that sustained me in a way that I only hoped it ever could. Was I angry? Hell yes. Was I sad? Of course. But I've never felt stronger. Between my faith, my family, and all of the amazing friends who came alongside us, I felt my Father with me through every piece of bad news, every finger prick, every needle poke. My heart was sad and even broken, but never empty.

So that box? It's still there. I can't bring myself to throw any of it away. Not one thing. Maybe one day? I really don't believe Amelia will have diabetes. As much as I believe in God, I also take great stock in science and the chances are that she won't ever have it.

But I never want to forget all that that box represents. The broken heart, the shattered dreams, the fears... The love, the strength, the faith...

Yes, Amelia was healed, or maybe never sick. But her mom's healed heart, that was really the miracle performed.

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-08T20:53:00.006-05:00

We started out Christmas Day at our house. Before we went downstairs, we read the Christmas story both from the Bible and a children's Bible, and we sang a few Christmas songs. It was definitely the sweetest part of my day.

Then it was down stairs to open a few gifts before breakfast. The girls had a couple of presents from Santa, a few presents from us, and a present from Grandfather and Grandma Ann.

Showing off one of her Santa gifts.

Opening a gift from Grandfather and Grandma Ann - animal puppets!

Lily's having a blast with her tiger puppet.

Lily opening the chocolate that we're pretty sure Grandfather snuck into her puppet. ;)

We gave Amelia "Candy Land." Simultaneously the best and the worst gift ever. Ha!

After opening gifts, eating breakfast, and squeezing in the first of many games of Candy Land, we hopped in the car to head to my parents' house for the day. Erin, Greg and Addy came over too, and Greg's mom and stepdad came for lunch too. We had a great time hanging out together and watching the girls play.

My genius niece already reading.

Peruvian fanny packs from Great Aunt Judy and Great Uncle Tom.

Hanging with the world's cutest niece.

Sweet Addy.

The "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake.

Seriously. Could she be any cuter?!

The cutest reindeer ever.

It was a wonderful, low-key Christmas. We hope yours was as well! And thus ends my 2011 blog catch-up. I'm resolving to not get so far behind in 2012. We'll see how long that lasts. :)

Christmas Eve

2012-01-07T20:43:00.004-05:00

On Christmas Eve, my parents came over to have dinner with us. After dinner, the girls decorated the "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake.

This is Lily's "crazy dance." We have no idea where it came from, but it's hilarious and usually involves her sticking her tongue out at the same time.

Picking out some cookies for Santa.

Sweet kisses from Poppa.

She can't wait for Christmas Day!

Santa

2012-01-06T20:35:00.000-05:00

Santa came to read stories to the kiddos at Weekday.

He had quite the captive audience.

Notice Amelia stayed a safe distance away. You just can't be too careful.

This was the only way the girls would take a picture, of course.

Bikini-body Parenting

2012-01-05T20:53:00.000-05:00

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about parenting lately. Well, anyone who is a parent hopefully thinks about it from time to time, but lately it’s been on my mind night and day.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we’ve been having quite a time with Amelia. (Knock on wood, things actually have improved a lot since Christmas, so I’m incredibly grateful for that!) But December about did me in. I probably cried at least once a day over that child.

December also was the start of a new exercise/eating plan for me. I won’t go into all the details here (maybe soon), but the short version is that I’ve been getting up early six days a week to work out, I’ve cut out most sugar and processed foods, and I’m eating far less carbohydrates than I used to. But the exercise has been the hardest part – or more to the point, the “getting up early to exercise” part has been my biggest challenge.

With both of these things on my mind, I was thinking today how parenting (parenting well, anyway) is actually a lot like exercise. I don't always love doing it, but I love what it does for me. I don't always wake up excited about it, but when it's over, I'm soooo glad I did it. The sweat, the tears, the anguish, at the end of my workout, it pales in comparison to how I feel for having done it. And that's the goal for us as parents, I think. To go to bed every night knowing we did our best, and grateful we did it at all, even though it hurt like hell at times. Some days we gave it 100 percent. Some days we mostly nailed it. And then there are the occasional days where we realize we mailed it in (TV, anyone?). But we still got up and did it. And over time, we see the results of those 100 percent days, and even the mail-it-in days didn't kill anyone.

But no matter what, it was worth it. No one gets to a bikini body and wishes they had exercised less. And no one gets to the end of their lives and wishes they had spent less time doing life with their kids. So we press on. And we encourage each other, knowing that while Chalene Johnson is my workout of choice and yours is running, we're all still exercising. And while being a SAHM who breastfeeds for two years and does organic everything and co-sleeps is your parenting style, someone else's might be working mom, scheduled baby, etc., and the rest of us are probably somewhere in between. But we're all doing it. And hopefully our bodies are transforming while exercising, just like our souls, our children's souls, and even the world around us is transforming while we parent. I used to think that marriage was soul-refining (and it is), but nothing compares to the chiseling of your character that is brought about by parenting. So give yourself a break sometimes, a motivational speech sometimes, a kick in the butt sometimes, but above all, always give yourself a pat on the back because you showed up.

P.S. There are a couple of blogs I’ve linked to on Facebook lately that really have encouraged me. If you didn’t see them, here they are:

Joy Phenix's blog post: The Life Balance Myth

And one that got shared and shared and shared all over Facebook because all of us can relate! Don't Carpe Diem

Happiness

2012-01-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

The girls loved decorating the gingerbread house.

December iPhone pics

2012-01-04T20:16:00.004-05:00

The perfect curl

Why I sweep (sometimes several times) daily

Telling daddy all about the "tivity" scene

When daddy fixes her hair...

Just a cute girl

Happiness in motion

Cute new pjs from Ms. Emily

Weekday Christmas program and Amelia's first solo!

2012-01-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

Two years ago at the Weekday Christmas program, Amelia sat there like a deer in the headlights and didn't open her mouth once. Last year, she improved a bit by occasionally opening her mouth, but never to actually sing - she just pretended too (she's a REALLY bad lip syncer).

Imagine our surprise, when a week before the program, her teachers told Mike that she had a SOLO in this year's program!!! Girlfriend had been belting it out so much during practice that they were confident in her. Mom and Dad were still nervous that she wouldn't comply on the day of the program, but except for one little lyric stumble, she sang her heart out. We were sooooo proud of our little soloist. Lily did great too! When she didn't have her shirt sleeve in her mouth, sucking on it (my favorite new Lily-ism - not), she was singing and doing the motions too. Go Lily! Maybe next year, she'll have a solo. :)

I guess we couldn't expect a good picture at that point - she was all performed out. :)

Living intentionally but honestly

2012-01-02T18:52:00.000-05:00

Last year I made a "green" Advent calendar out of recyclable materials (brown grocery store bag, cut up magazines, etc.) It held up pretty well, so the girls loved taking turns moving the gingerbread from pocket to pocket this year.

But I also got inspired by this post to make another type of Advent calendar.

I LOVED the idea of planning out activities for every day. Nothing makes me happier than living intentionally - having a plan and carrying it out. This is good and bad, as you might imagine. I think the girls have definitely humbled me in this regard though. I'm learning to make a plan, then plan for that plan to break. For example, I planned for 25 activities,ranging from the simple (read a Christmas book together) to the complicated (make a gingerbread house) to the already-on-the-calendar-so-this-is-kind-of-cheating activity (such as Christmas parties). But about midway through the month, things fell apart as our already-challenging three-year-old took behavioral issues to a new level. There was about a week there that it was all I could do to make it to bedtime without killing anyone, forget focusing on Advent. How's that for honesty?

Well, thankfully no one was hurt, and eventually I managed to pick myself up by my boot straps and determine not to be defeated by 30 lbs of will power. Cause guess what? Mama's got a LOT MORE weight and therefore a lot more WILL. So eventually we got back into the fun of things.

Another thing that I intended to do with this was to take a picture of our activity every day. Yeah, that didn't happen either. I did, however, take a lot, so here is what I have.

Turning over the first one: open one Christmas gift, which was...

Christmas pajamas!

Some of other other activities (in no particular order):

Going to the mall to get pictures taken in their Christmas dresses.

Going to the lighting of the town Christmas tree.

Going to see a live Nativity.

Going on a hayride at a Christmas tree farm.

Hanging with mommy on the hayride.

At the Christmas tree farm.

Cute girls at the Christmas tree farm.

Going to a party at Barnes & Noble where they read Christmas stories and had Christmas cookies in their pjs.

More cuteness.

Meeting Santa at the B&N event and showing him his likeness on her pjs.

I couldn't believe the "fake" Santa (aka, fake bearded) was the one they actually acquiesced to a photo with.

With my cute girl that night.

Making candy cane reindeer.

Making a gingerbread house.

Decorating a "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake.

Overall, I really did enjoy this and I *think* we'll do it again next year. December can just fly by if you let it, and I feel like having something planned every day helped us pay attention to each day of the season. Guess we'll see what three-year-old Lily looks like next year first. ;)

Sisters Smiling in the Sun

2012-01-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

When the girls are in a picture-taking mood, well, you take lots of pictures.

Aren't their hats too cute for words?! They were made for our friends Christy and Justin to sell to raise money to bring home their next kiddo from Ethiopia. Love.

Happy Eyes

2011-12-31T19:28:00.000-05:00

I am so grateful that we caught Amelia's vision problem before she had permanant damage and became cross-eyed. But I do miss her eyes so much... Mainly because, when she smiles and laughs, she uses her eyes as much as her mouth.

December Dance Party

2011-12-31T14:44:00.002-05:00

"What? You haven't heard that it's time for a dance party?"

"OK, Lily, you go here, and I'll go there."

Alright, paparazzo, the party's over.

Getting my hair did

2011-12-30T15:23:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite discoveries lately has been that even though Amelia H-A-T-E-S for me to do her hair, she loves doing mine.

This is my "Belle" look, according to Amelia.

Now if I can just get her to scratch my back...

P.S. Excuse the horrible pictures; my iPhone camera does not hold up in low light at all.

November blog catch-up series: The finale

2011-12-29T21:07:00.000-05:00

OK, here we go. The rest of November at warp speed. :)

There are always LOTS of parties and dinners at our house these days.

More of those sweet sisters.

Remember that stomach flu I mentioned that we came home to after our "anniversary" trip? Well, this is what stir crazy looks like after you've been stuck at home for days on end and finally escape for some cupcake goodness...

Early in November, we performed as a family at the Adoption Celebration that the agency I work for hosts every year.

As you can see, Amelia comes out of her shell quite nicely on the stage.

"Please, people, don't rush the stage."

I was at a meeting one day and came home to find child labor violations. Ha!

Mike said they had a blast, and they actually did a great job. Who knew?

Our best attempt at a photo of all the cousins at Thanksgiving in south Georgia. Yes, mine are the two being completely uncooperative. Brilliant.

Wearing daddy's socks. If you look closely, you'll see her feet are actually on the ground. The ankle of the sock is just still sticking out from when Mike wore them.

After a failed attempt last year, we finally made it to the Pink Pig this year - an Atlanta tradition. I will say that if it's not something you grew up doing (apparently it used to be a much bigger attraction and longer ride), it's not really all that worth the effort, in my humble opinion. We've have had far more fun experiences that involved far less effort. BUT, I'm glad we did it so we can say we did. ;)

The only pic from inside the ride that turned out even remotely well. It was very... pink...

Christmas preparations:

Yeah, Mike forgot the tree was on top of the car when he pulled into the garage. He cleared it by millimeters!

We enjoyed having a full-size tree this year after going pint size the last couple of years because of our pint-sized, adventure-seeking kiddos. They did really well, actually and only gave us slight heart attacks a couple of times.

Making Christmas cookies with daddy.

And coming in December's posts... this year's Advent Calendar:

As I write this, there are two days left in 2011. Wonder if I'll make my goal of being caught up by January 1? To be continued...

November blog catch-up series: Destin

2011-12-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, when Amelia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it was the week before Mike and I were supposed to go on a cruise to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We had saved all year long for this fun trip and spent SOOOO many hours planning out every detail. Well... it didn't happen. And we thought we'd probably never get away again, at least not for many years. But, well, then Amelia DIDN'T have diabetes. So, first of all, Hallelujah! Second of all, when can we get away???

Thanks to my parents and our credit card points (mostly accrued through Mike's work purchases - score!), we managed to get away for a long weekend in November to Destin. No, it's not a cruise, BUT it is our favorite place to vacation and where we spent most of our honeymoon. So I guess it was fitting that we return there for the big 1-0 celebration.

Mike's coworkers blew our minds when they surprised us with a card full of gift cards for our trip... restaurants, Starbucks, American Express gift cards... we were BLOWN AWAY. Seriously one of the nicest things any one's ever done for us. It really allowed us to have a great time and not worry about money so much. Such a blessing.

Without further ado, here are our pics from that trip. You'd think since the girls weren't there we wouldn't have had much to photograph, but actually we thoroughly enjoyed returning to our love of photographing nature. And the occasional arm-length self portrait, of course.

We made it. Ahhh....

It was so secluded it was heavenly. Not warm enough for only swimsuits or swimming (although there were some idiots, er, brave souls who got in), but warm enough to sit in a beach chair and read and rest. I'll take it!

The view from our room.

If you stood back far enough, it almost looked like we were on a cruise. :)

Time for some cheesy self-portraits.

I can't stand photos alone, so of course I had to diffuse the awkward moment by being more awkward.

Our last morning, Mike set his alarm and got up to get us Starbucks, then came and woke me up to catch the last bit of the sunrise. I wasn't too sure about the idea (seeing as how it was our last day to sleep in), but I am glad we did it.

Thank you again, mom and dad, for keeping the girls and making this getaway possible. We will try to forget that we returned to a week full of the stomach bug back home. Ha!

November blog catch-up series: Hangin' with Baby Addyson

2011-12-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

The girls sure do love their baby cousin!

November blog catch-up series: Love my girls

2011-12-26T16:25:00.006-05:00

Loving time with the g-rents

2011-12-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

I left off sharing about Mike's parents' trip out here, so I thought I'd finish sharing about the fun times we had with them. Here are the highlights in photos of the rest of the time we spent with them.

Halloween: Our Child Stars

2011-12-20T21:45:00.012-05:00

Mike's parents were here for Halloween, which was a super fun time to have them here. We had several opportunities to get the girls dressed up: their parade at school, a costume contest and then trick-or-treating on Halloween night. It was great fun, and the girls really got into it. Amelia would even sing "The Good Ship Lollipop" for complete strangers. Needless to say, our girls swept the costume contest. ;)

Without further ado, I present Shirley Temple and Annie!

Getting her hair "did"

"Don't even think about it..."

Hanging with her dear friend, Ms. Sara

Can you tell Amelia loves her?

I definitely give Boq some big props for putting on this ridiculous tree costume that Mike brought home from work. He proved himself not only a great sport, but also a complete nut. :)

Hanging with his kin

What am I?

Hello, Hello, is this thing on?

2011-12-20T20:30:00.002-05:00

Wow. This is the longest hiatus I've ever taken from my blog, I think. It was definitely unintentional. I know everyone is busy, so I'm working on not using that as an excuse for anything these days, but for REAL, life has been moving at warp speed. I am truly grateful for all of the contract work that has come my way these last few months, but my nights have definitely been consumed. Thankfully my next deadlines aren't until the end of January, so I've decided to take a couple of weeks off. Hopefully my creativity can bounce back with the break too. :)

Before I jump into my blog catch-up, I just want to share about some friends who are going through a crazy difficult journey and ask you to please pray for them. If you're my friend on Facebook, you definitely already know about Katie and Chris because I've been a bit obsessive about posting their updates. But this story has gripped me, down to my core, as it has for so many of our friends. Katie and Chris are truly some of the most faithful people you'll meet, but also incredibly kind and down-to-earth and humble. Katie is one of those women who has NO idea how beautiful she is, inside and out.

When they found out a few months ago that their baby girl has Trisomy 13, they willingly walked down an intensely difficult path that ultimately resulted in Hallie's miraculous birth yesterday. Baby girl has some serious health issues, and no one knows how much time she will spend on this earth, but her birth alone is a miracle, not to mention all the milestones she keeps crossing off (like taking a bottle!). Please please keep this sweet family in your prayers. You can follow their blog, and if you're on Facebook, there is a page that has been set up for updates: Hope for Hallie.

If you're still reading my blog, thanks for not giving up on me. :) I will probably do a few overview posts of the last several weeks to get us caught up, and I promise to try not to get this far behind again. :)

Merry Christmas.

Zoo!

2011-11-29T21:54:00.001-05:00

While Mike's parents were here visiting, we took a trip to the Atlanta Zoo. I can honestly say I have never had a better zoo visit. The crowds were slim, the animals were lively, and best of all: the animal babies! There were so many of them this time!

I over-lightened this one so you could hopefully see the baby gorilla. SOO cute! There were several of them!

A tiger cub playing with her mommy!

And the panda cub. Really, is there anything cuter?

The girls always amaze me at the petting zoo. They are ter-ri-fied of dogs - even my parents' little Pomeranian. But for some reason, they'll approach giant goats, sheep and pigs, and fearlessly pet them.

That didn't take long. We really did have such a blast!

Squeezing every last drop out of fall

2011-11-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

Grandfather and Grandma Ann came for a week-long visit in late October, and we all had a blast! We spent the first day up in north Georgia, visiting the apple orchard again, as well as a pumpkin patch. So... prepare for an onslaught of photos:

And that was just the first day of their visit!

How to climb a tree

2011-11-27T20:13:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
One kid (or two)
One tree
One grandfather (long arms preferred)

Two-year-old version:

Three-year-old version:

Yields: Unlimited smiles

School Pics

2011-11-26T20:55:00.000-05:00

We feel incredibly blessed that the girls not only have such wonderful teachers at Weekday, but that their awesome teacher Ms. Ashley is also a great photographer. She took these precious pictures of the girls last month. Thanks, Ms. Ashley!

Musical memory

2011-11-26T08:45:00.001-05:00

Amelia just heard Zoey Deschanel singing (Baby, It's Cold Outside) and exclaimed, "Mommy, it's the Winnie the Pooh song!"

Yep, Zoey sang on that soundtrack. We saw the movie ONCE many months ago.

The musical memory of this child blows me away! No denying she is Mike's child.

P.S. Just discovered there is an iPhone app for Blogger so I can blog on the go now. Picture posting is extremely limited so it won't ever replace my "real" blogging, but it will be wonderful to capture these kinds of moments when they happen (which I'm always doing on Facebook, but rarely remember when I sit down to blog).

Curls

2011-11-25T20:25:00.000-05:00

When it's a good curl day, you've just got to document it.

More of those wagon smiles

2011-11-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

Not sure what it is about that wagon, but if you want some good, genuine smiles, just put the girls in it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T16:49:00.001-05:00

Lily: Pre-turkey and post-turkey

Big gull beds

2011-11-23T20:20:00.001-05:00

With some friends of ours moving to Austria and selling all of their furniture, we jumped on the chance to buy their bunk beds back in October. We didn't think it would work to un-bunk them because the girls' room is so small, so gave the bunked version a try in the afternoon.

It didn't take long for us to realize that we would never relax with this scenario - the girls are just too young to be trusted. So we cleared everything, and I mean everything, out of their rooms and they fit.

Their room isn't nearly as cute as it once was...

...but this new stage of "big gull beds" as Lily calls them is quite fun. And one day we'll be able to bunk the beds again and have more space.

Another big milestone on the books!

Disney on Ice

2011-11-22T20:52:00.001-05:00

I wanted to take the girls to the Disney on Ice show SO badly, but we couldn't afford the tickets... So when an email popped into my inbox with super-cheap opening night tickets the week before the show, I took it as a sign. :)

It was such a fun night. We got the girls dressed up as their favorite princesses.

While they loved getting dressed up, not everyone was in the mood for a picture. Sigh.

The show was AMAZING. Disney really knows what they're doing. The piece de resistance of the evening was Tangled. The characters even flew threw the air on Rapunzel's "hair" - it was breathtaking. Then at the end, all of the Disney princesses and princes came out for the finale.

The girls were enthralled through it all, despite being up way past their bedtimes.

It definitely got us excited about Disney World in a few years!

Fall Fun with Grandma and Poppa!

2011-11-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a fabulous Groupon, we enjoyed a wonderful day at BJ Reese Apple House in Ellijay with Grandma and Poppa.

There was a fun petting zoo with all sorts of interesting animals. Some weren't so much of the petting variety...

But there were plenty fuzzy cute ones too.

There was a fun hayride...

with gorgeous views of the orchard.

And, of course, there were apples.

Lots and lots of apples.

There were also two sweet sisters.

What a fun fall day it was!

Kids and Cars

2011-11-20T17:15:00.002-05:00

In October, we had a blast celebrating our little friend Sam's second birthday. His mom put on a kicking Cars-themed party.

The amazing Mater cake Emily made!

The highlight of the party was a cars race. The kids started out by decorating their own license plates.

Then it was time to line the cars up for the race.

And then they were off!

It.was.hilarious. Seriously. The parents had just as much fun watching as the kids did racing - maybe more. ;)

Even without the cars, the girls were in a racing mood.

The cutest race car driver I've ever seen.

Thanks for letting us celebrate with you, sweet Sam!

She plays hard

2011-11-16T20:43:00.000-05:00

Breakfast in pearls

2011-11-14T20:35:00.000-05:00

I mean, why not?

Banana, anyone?

2011-11-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

Fish face

2011-11-10T20:25:00.000-05:00

Celebrating the big 1-0

2011-11-08T20:41:00.001-05:00

Since our 10th anniversary cruise didn't happen, plus September was just kind of an awful month in general, we've done a couple of things to try to make up for it. One was going on a date night at Chateau Elan.

Georgia has a winery? Yes, surprisingly, it does! Mike and I love to visit the wineries near his hometown in northern California, so we figured we'd see what Georgia had to offer. We started out with a guided tour, which was pretty interesting - it's definitely a complicated process! Then it was tasting time, which was super fun.

We had some time to kill before dinner, so we walked around the grounds of the winery, watched a few minutes of a wedding, and took some self-portraits.

Lastly, we enjoyed an AMAZING dinner at the little French restaurant on site - Le Clos. We had the restaurant to ourselves most of the time - amazing! Naturally we got the best seat in the house since we were the only ones there, so we could look at the vineyards while we feasted on Gorgonzola stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto with a balsamic glaze pipette. Seriously? Seriously. And that was just the appetizer.

The chef treated us to some special treats - including a sweet message on our dessert. So nice.

This definitely makes my top 10 list of best meals and best restaurant experiences. If you're looking for a special place to celebrate, check it out!

But, of course, the best part of all was just spending time with my sweet man. Here's to 10 more! And 10 more after that... And 10 more after that... And... You get the picture.

Anna Ruby Falls

2011-11-06T20:21:00.001-05:00

In September we took the girls up for fun hike at Anna Ruby Falls.

On our way home, we passed signs for a farm with corn maze, petting zoo, etc. It wasn't exactly a happening place, but it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed walking around the scenic farm.

Don't ya just love fall fun?!

Photo shoot at the park

2011-11-04T20:48:00.000-04:00

One recent Friday when we were at the park, AMELIA SUGGESTED a photo shoot. Wha?! Ooookay... let's do it!

Amazing how great the smiles are when they aren't coerced!

Swing set

2011-11-02T20:30:00.001-04:00

We were blessed by a wonderful joint gift from all the grandparents for the girls' birthdays this year - a swing set!

We got it in late July, but wwith the water party plans for mid-August, we didn't get it up right away. So it was great timing when we were in need of a pick-me-up after coming home from the hospital with Amelia in late August.

Mike and my dad worked hard for an entire day, and then Mike put the finishing touches on it the next.

The girls were happy to put it to the test right away.

It's been such a joy to have in our backyard. The girls play out there all the time, and thanks to our small backyard and our backyard-facing kitchen windows, I can work in the kitchen while they play. Win-win!

Thanks so much, Grandfather, Grandma Ann, Papa and Grandma!

School daze

2011-10-31T20:10:00.000-04:00

Excuse the bluriness of these phone photos, but I just love these shots of them heading into school together. I hope they always are this close...

Wagon smiles

2011-10-29T13:59:00.003-04:00

Trying to get these two to pose and smile for a photo can be downright impossible these days. But for some reason, if you catch them in the wagon together, it's instant smiles.

P.S. Excuse the spaghetti on Lily's right eyebrow. Spaghetti night = bath night in our house.

Friday Family Fun Day

2011-10-21T20:22:00.000-04:00

There are few things that make our girls happier than a morning at Monkey Joe's. It's a guarantee of a good nap, so bonus for mommy and daddy.

(Excuse the shoddy cell phone pics - the iPhone takes great photos for the most part, but low light, action shots are a bust.)

Love our Fridays off together!

Gives new meaning to the term "belly dancer"

2011-10-20T19:51:00.000-04:00

The Escapee

2011-10-19T20:17:00.000-04:00

I got a new haircut recently and Mike was trying to get a good photo of me with Lily. I didn't realize until later that Amelia was in the shots as well - obviously trying, without luck, to get back in the house. I'm not sure why, but this series of pictures cracks me up.

Mike and his mini-me

2011-10-17T20:13:00.000-04:00

Thankful for Children's

2011-10-15T20:54:00.000-04:00

There are two things that Amelia's recent health scare has made me passionate about: type 1 in young kiddos, and children's hospitals.

Amelia's hospital stay was amazing. I mean, as amazing as one of the most awful things you could experience. No one ever, ever wants their child in a hospital. BUT, if your kid has to be in a hospital, there is no better one than the children's hospital here in Atlanta: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The nurses there are just amazing. They are kind, patient, advocates for your child, and just generally wonderful. And the "amenities," if that word can apply to a hospital, are bar none. Amelia spent her days playing hard and wearing her friend Ms. Sara out, who was entertaining her while we were "gettin' educated."

She read books in the library (and there were sweet dogs there too, which of course, she was terrified of), played outside in the gardens, and mini-golf. She watched the fish in the GIANT faux aquarium, she watched movies we borrowed from the library. She played on the playground, and with all the toys in the play room. She pretty much covered every corner of that hospital. And, oh the gifts... everywhere she turned, someone was handing her a stuffed animal, book or toy. I'm pretty sure she thought it was a vacation, just one that included lots of finger pricks and shots.

All that to say, if you are blessed to have an abundance and can give to charitable organizations, please give to your local children's hospital. From the red wagons that line the hallways to pull little patients around, to the library stocked with children's books, to the coffee shops that keep worried parents caffeinated... all of those little touches make what is an awful situation just a bit more bearable - for both the kids and the parents. No, it wasn't perfect - what I would have given for an actual bed to sleep in those three nights - but it was perfectly suited for my child, and that's what mattered.

We did snap a few pics of Amelia's stay at "Hotel CHOA."

What?

Silly girl

Sweet, brave girl

Keeping the "old" friends

2011-10-13T20:40:00.000-04:00

I love where we live, and I feel very grateful for all of the amazing friends we have here in Atlanta. But I also have great friends who aren't as close geographically but who we make the effort to stay in touch. I want my girls to know these friends, because so much of who I am is because of them.

Two of those friends are Jen and Sara. I hope they'll forgive me for blogging about them, but since *one day* (famous last words, right), I'll make this blog into a book so the girls can have a journal of their early years, I wanted to make sure these two special ladies made it into the blogosphere.

"Auntie Jen" comes to visit us often, and we go see her in Chattanooga too. The girls love their Auntie Jen very much, even though they were not very happy about having their pictures taken while she was reading to them. Ha!

We also love our visits with our great friends Sara, Van and Gideon. We wish we could hang with this special fam more often, but we're grateful for the visits when they can happen. That Gideon is just too cute, isn't he?!

We are blessed by our sweet friends, near and far!

How Lily eats an ice cream cone

2011-10-11T20:29:00.000-04:00

All.the.way.down.

And with lots of cuteness, I might add.

Those curls

2011-10-09T21:20:00.003-04:00

My mom says Lily is going to kill me one day for all the crazy hair pics I've posted of her online, but I sure hope not. Because, my goodness, crazy or not, her hair is its own category of awesomeness.

With a dearth of good movies to rent right now, we've been re-watching the entire series of Felicity again (my all-time fave!), and we're just now starting season two when she cuts all her hair off. For those of you who watched it in real-time, do you remember what a HUGE deal that was in TV-land? People were flipping out that she cut off all her hair. It was pretty darn drastic, I'll say that, but it was just hilarious how it was such a big deal. The second season ratings fell dramatically, and of course, it was all blamed on that ill-fated hair cut.

All that to say, I hope Lily loves her hair always and realizes what a cool gift it is to have such unusual locks. And I hope if she chooses to cut it all off one day, that she has better timing than Keri Russell.

Update on Amelia

2011-10-08T08:43:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday we went back to the pediatric endocrinologist. We got the news we were pretty much expecting: at this point, there is no sign Amelia has diabetes.

What does that mean? Well, we still don't know. Clearly her high blood sugar a few weeks ago and the ketones in her urine indicate that something was going on in her body that wasn't right. Was it a fluke? Was it a miracle? We don't know. Will it come back? It might. We just. don't. know.

But we're becoming more at ease with not knowing. First of all, the God who made Amelia, who knew her before we were even ready for her, He knows. As much as I wish He'd let me in on His plan for her, and why we went through what we did about six weeks ago, that's just not how it works. So I can choose to worry, fear the worst and never relax, or I can choose to trust. I'm trying to choose the latter.

One of the hardest parts of this for me has been sharing the news with friends - old and new - whose children have type 1. While, of course, no parent would wish for another child to have this awful disease, it's also hard to hear that someone else got that "escape" that you so desperately wish and hope and pray for. How I wish, oh how I wish, that our situation could be the reality for every child with type 1. Even if Amelia never does get diabetes, I will always feel a connection with those parents because for a few awful weeks, I knew that fear and sadness and anger. If nothing else, going through this with Amelia has made me passionate about praying for a cure, and supporting those who are fighting for it. And of course, praying for those sweet kiddos whose bravery in facing a life-altering disease amazes me.

One day maybe I'll feel comfortable saying we saw a real-life miracle. But honestly, for my heart's sake it's not that important to me if it was a miracle or a fluke (my brain, on the other hand, would LOVE to know, because this whole situation is just SO strange. In fact, I took the girls back to our regular pediatrician this week and she hadn't gotten the notes from our endo yet, so she didn't know our update. You could have knocked her over with a feather. She was completely shocked. This kind of thing just doens't happen, y'all). If I call it a miracle and then it does return, what then? I don't want my faith to take another hit like that. Instead, I am making a conscious decision each day to thank God for the health He gave our family THAT day. Because that's all we're given - a daily chance to be grateful for this life. None of us are promised tomorrow, so embracing the present is our best chance at living this life the way God intended - fully and with gratitude.

Thank you all again for loving our Amelia and our family so well. The emails, texts, FB posts, etc. asking about her still come in daily, and that honors me. This community that we have been blessed with has made this bizarre, difficult and confusing journey not only endurable, but even affirming at times. If there's one thing I can take away from this, it's the importance of surrounding yourself with life-givers, with positive people who will speak truth and love into your life.

So, for those of you who have prayed and reached out, thank you. We'll continue to keep you posted if anything changes, of course. Right now the course of action is still to keep testing Amelia, but just a couple of days a week (twice a day), and go back to the endo in six months. After that? Who knows? But at the risk of dropping a cliche, I DO know Who knows, and for now, that's enough.

A year in the life of Amelia and Lily

2011-09-30T20:11:00.000-04:00

Warning: this is long. But Mike did such a great job on it that I couldn't resist sharing. He made it for the girls' birthday, but then when all that happened with Amelia, I just didn't get it up here. Anyway, fully don't expect anyone to watch it in its entirety! But for the family and incredibly dedicated friends with a good internet connection, here ya go. ;)

Phone Photo Dump

2011-09-29T20:56:00.000-04:00

Just some fun photos that don't really fit anywhere else. :)

Dirty face...

...but curly hair...

...and sweet girl.

Just doing some blogging.

Playing trumpet with daddy.

Hey!

Amelia's first letter!

Blurry Besties

2011-09-27T20:49:00.000-04:00

Mike took these photos in low light with his phone while balancing several bags, so clearly (pun intended) they're very blurry. But I just had to post them because it shows how stinking sweet the girls are with each other.

Love the best friends they have become!

Water Wonderland Party

2011-09-25T14:03:00.010-04:00

Prepare for a pretty epic post, because we had a pretty epic birthday party for the girls this year. I love that they both have summer birthdays because there's nothing I love more than a party where we can just provide good food and drinks and let the kids run loose while the adults hang out.

This year, we kept the food simple: pizza and fruit. I wanted to use my time and creative energy on what is the centerpiece of any good party: the cake.

I had two different types of cupcakes this year. Margarita cupcakes for the adults...

and beach cupcakes for the kids.

I still dream about this icing.

And, of course, the girls had to have candles to blow out.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

When our guests arrived, Mickey Mouse greeted them, along with a sign instructing them to follow the flip flops to the party (which was in our backyard).

When they got to the backyard, they were greeted with a water wonderland.

Even Mike got into the theming.

We didn't do presents or official games or anything - we just set up all of the water toys we own, plus some we borrowed, and the kiddos went to town.

Our girls had a blast, and I'd like to think everyone else did too.

Each kid got their own beach ball to take home as a favor.

The best part for me was watching my girls, so happy, playing with their friends.

After the pizza and lots of playing, it was time to sing Happy Birthday to the two birthday girls!

Their friend Riley thought the cupcakes were pretty OK too. :)

We were so excited to have Baby Addy join us for the party, although I don't think she remembers it. Addy at the beginning of the party:

Addy at the end of the party:

We were also thrilled to have my aunt and uncle drive down from Tennessee to join in the fun. They are expert party planners themselves, not to mention two of the hardest workers you'll ever meet, so they jumped right in to help.

After the party-goers left, the girls opened some presents, and Amelia was thrilled to get a box of princess dress up clothes from her aunt Erin.

Then it was time to go to bed, but not before loving on cousin Addyson.

It was a long, full day, but such a blast. I love my little girls, and I love throwing a party, so throwing a party to celebrate Amelia and Lily is just plain ol' fun! Can't wait until next year...

Lily's Birthday Day

2011-09-18T22:12:00.006-04:00

I'm so far behind on my regular journaling of the girls' lives on this blog that it's ridiculous, so I thought I'd jump up to Lily's birthday, which was *only* a month ago. :)

Lily's birthday was on a Sunday this year, which means she didn't see Mike until after waking up from her nap on Sunday afternoon. She also had gotten most of her presents a few weeks earlier, since we had the girls' birthday party in between their actual birthdays. But I was determined to still make "her day" special.

The post-coffee(birthday)cake shot:

All dressed up for church:

After nap, we went to Toys 'R' Us for her to pick out her $5 toy.

She chose a book over a stuffed animal, which I thought was pretty awesome. :)

Then it was on to dinner with her birthday twin (my dad) and the rest of us.

And what would a birthday dinner be without a Gigi's cupcake?

I think she was a fan...

We love our little Lily - she truly brings joy to this family, and keeps us all smiling. You have my heart, Lillian Elizabeth!

What 10 years look like

2011-09-15T08:38:00.005-04:00

In ten years, much has changed.

Butterflies have been replaced by an overwhelming sense of home.

Fine china has been replaced by chipped dishes and sippy cups.

A spotless apartment has been replaced by a not-much-bigger house with a lot more stuff and a lot less clean.

Gourmet meals we planned and prepared together have morphed into chicken fingers and mac and cheese.

Gourmet meals we enjoyed together while talking about our days have become an Olympian-esque sport of balancing a screaming toddler in one hand and a fork full of said mac and cheese in the other.

Pounds were lost, then gained, then lost, then gained - by both of us. Some caused by disease, others by babies.

Jobs we endured just to make it to quittin' time became careers we truly cherish.

Singing in coffee shops evolved into singing lullabies.

Dreams of world-traveling became reality and then became dreams again.

Tragedy struck a few times - four days before our wedding, four years into it, and now 10 years in. Once because of evil men; twice because of evil disease.

So what does 10 years of marriage look like?

Battle scars, stretch marks, belly fat and less hair?
Well, yes.

But mostly, 10 years of marriage looks like

L
O
V
E

Love for the man who is my soulmate. Who is my best friend. Who is the BEST daddy two girls could ever wish for. Whose kindness, gentleness and compassion are balanced with his conviction, integrity and strength. Who is selflessness personified. Who works harder than anyone I know, while getting little recognition for it. And who may not be perfect, but is without a doubt, perfect for me.

Here's to the next 10 years, Mikey. I love you more than words.

First Krispy Kremes!

2011-09-10T20:46:00.000-04:00

The day we had the girls' birthday photos taken, we passed by an Atlanta landmark on the way home and had to stop in to give the girls a treat.

It's a rite of passage in Altanta to have a fresh Krispy Kreme donought. The girls agreed this is a good tradition.

Catching Up and Two Cute Sisters

2011-09-09T23:29:00.006-04:00

I'm just a weeeee bit behind on my "normal" blog posting (aka, journaling the girls' lives via photos), but we'll take it a post at a time, shall we?

Nothing to report on regarding Amelia's health, other than her BG levels have been great. I'm learning to live in the Land of Limbo a bit more each day, but it's never going to be where I'd like to hang my hat. Once again, my absolute favorite devotional book of all time met me right where I am today. From Jesus Calling, September 9:

Walk With Me along paths of trust. The most direct route between point A and point B on your life-journey is the path of unwavering trust in Me. When your faith falters, you choose a trail that meanders and takes you well out of your way. You will get to point B eventually, but you will have lost precious time and energy. As soon as you realize you have wandered from your trust-path, look to Me and whisper, ‘I trust You, Jesus.’ This affirmation will help you get back on track.

The farther you roam along paths of unbelief, the harder it is to remember that I am with you. Anxious thoughts branch off in all directions, taking you farther and farther from awareness of My Presence. You need to voice your trust in Me frequently. This simple act of faith will keep you walking along straight paths with Me. Trust in Me with all your heart, and I will make your paths straight.

Yep, I would like to be at point B, well, right now, but that's not in my doing. All I can do is walk in trust, and believe that He is leading us in His timing. Not easy, no, and some days I do better at that whole "trust" thing than others, but that's why my blog tagline is what it is.

If you're still with me, I'll reward your efforts with some pictures of the cutest sisters on the planet. Every day these two get closer and closer, and also fight more and more. ;) But mostly they do love each other.

Living in the Land of Limbo

2011-09-08T08:53:00.002-04:00

Limbo is so not my favorite place. No, I don't love the Land of Hard Knocks either, but the enemy that is known is in many ways easier for me. If there's a problem, let's fix it. If it can't be fixed, let's do what we can to survive. But if we don't know what is going on, there's nothing we can do. Except wait. Not my strong suit.

Last night was the worst night of sleep I've had since this all happened, save for the three hours a night I averaged in the hospital, of course. It didn't help that I forgot to turn my phone alarm for the 2 am check that we don't have to do right now. So of course my mind got to whirring, thinking through all of this.

Here's the tension: We don't know for sure if Amelia does or doesn't have type 1. We may not know this for a long time. We got news that looks good, but is in no way conclusive. For now, no treatment. But that may not hold. So emotionally, I'm not sure how to process. This past week was the worst of my life and I can't come down from that quickly - whether the news from the doctor was definitve or not. But the fact that it's NOT definitive just makes this all that more complex.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to stay realistic and prepared for hard news, yet feel peace in the unknown, and gratitude for the hope. It's like when someone says, "Don't think about an elphant." Then it's all you can think of. I'm trying not to think about the worst, yet it's always there. And I don't want to assume it's all OK now, because if I allow myself to relax and then her numbers go up again, my heart will break for a second time.

I'd rather just keep it broken in the same places. Rebreaking seems just like cruel and unusual punishment.

There are no words... A significant update on Amelia

2011-09-07T12:56:00.001-04:00

We are not quite sure how to start this post or what exactly to say. I guess we’ll just come out and say that there is a chance that Amelia does not have type 1 diabetes after all. We are sitting here in shock and not sure what to feel.

This is going to be very complicated, so buckle your seat belts.

When Amelia was sick at the doctor last Tuesday and I mentioned to the pede that she had also been really thirsty lately, they checked her urine. Five days earlier at her well visit, her urine had been checked and it was fine, so the doctor was shocked when sugar showed up, as well as ketones (a sign that your body has been breaking down fat for energy because of not having insulin to break down carbohydrates for energy). They pricked her finger and checked her blood glucose levels in the office, and sure enough, it was showing a high BG level – 252 as I recall. A non-diabetic would never get that high, so between that and the ketones, it was clear that type 1 had struck our family again.

Off to the hospital we went, where in the ER, they drew blood for labs and gave Amelia IV fluids to lower her BG and flush out the ketones. I’d say in less than 12 hours, her BG was measuring “normal.” They started her on the insulin regimen, but at really low levels.

Before we left the hospital, our endocrinologist shut the door and gave us some bizarre news that we didn’t know how to process. We didn’t tell anyone – even our parents – because we didn’t know what to make of it and didn’t want to raise anyone’s hopes falsely. The endo told us that Amelia’s A1C results had come back completely normal (A1C is a test that measures the average of your BG over about three months), and that it should have been much, much higher if she truly had type 1 diabetes. She brought up a couple of possibilities, such as one of the MODY types of diabetes – a very rare gene mutation. BUT, she said that in order to know if that was the case, expensive genetic testing would have to be done, and she didn’t recommend that until we got a bit further down the road to see what Amelia’s levels would do, plus to get back a few more lab results – including a test of her fructosamine – similar to the A1C, but measuring the last few weeks instead of the last few months. IF Amelia had just been caught super early, it was possible that it just wasn’t registering on her A1C . We left the hospital kind of dumbfounded, but she told us to just continue on assuming it was type 1 because we didn’t know otherwise.

When we returned home, we tested her BG several times a day and called those numbers in daily to the endo. After a couple of days of very low BG, they pulled her completely off insulin. We have been attributing this to the “honeymoon” period, but there was certainly a part of us that wondered if something else was up.

Sure enough, at Amelia’s first post-hospital endo appointment today, we found out that her fructosamine test came back normal. And all of her antibodies (there are three associated with type 1 diabetes) are normal as well. Basically, the endo said it appears at this moment she does not have type 1. Um. Whoa.

So what does this mean? Well, it means we basically don’t know much. We do know that Amelia’s BG was up, which is almost impossibly rare unless you have diabetes. There are exceptions when someone is sick, but they have to be REALLY, REALLY sick, which she wasn’t. Best case scenario – this was some incredibly rare fluke that we’ll never understand (well, that part isn’t the best) and she’ll go on to never develop type 1. Worse case I suppose would be that she does have it, and that it’s just not developing in a typical fashion. It sounds like the chances of that are pretty much slim to none though. Middle ground would be one of the genetic mutation forms – each of which has a different treatment (mostly none involving insulin, however!). But right now… we Just.Don’t.Know.

What’s the plan? We will continue to test her BG morning and night and track it. If the numbers move above a range she gave us, we will call in. Otherwise, we will just go back in four weeks and see what they say. More testing may be in order at that point; a lot just depends on what the next few weeks bring.

We are in shock. Serious shock. I had just started to wrap my mind around what our future would look like. Now we’re confused. How do I feel? Hopeful. Confused. Skeptical. Sad that our hope is unusual – that most type 1 diabetics don’t get such hope. Guilt for that reason as well. Scared that we’re getting our hopes up. Mostly, I just feel stuck.

We are so incredibly, incredibly grateful for those of you who have jumped right in to help us. Even if by some incredible miracle, we come out of this with a completely healthy daughter, the last week has been H-E-L-L. But God’s love demonstrated to us through your hugs, calls, texts, Facebook messages and comments, meals, gifts, and mostly PRAYERS is without a doubt what has gotten us through. And we beg you to please keep praying with us that ultimately we will find out either that Amelia is healthy, or that we need to pursue treatment. I really do just want to know. But of course, a completely healthy child is ultimately what we’re hoping and praying for.

For those of you who have signed up for meals for us in the next few weeks, can we take a rain check? Prayerfully it’s a check we’ll never have to cash, but if something does go downhill with Amelia in the coming weeks or months, we’ll need that help again. And if you were thinking of making a donation to JDRF in Amelia’s name, please still do! Or you could make it in Mike’s honor, or just in honor of all of the kiddos who have a definitive diagnosis.

Thank you all so much for all you have done. We feel incredibly blessed to be loved by so many amazing people.

Update and honesty

2011-09-03T21:12:00.006-04:00

I doubt I'll be able to keep up these daily updates for too much longer, but I know so many of our family are relying on these right now, so I wanted to let you know that Amelia had a great day. Her numbers are actually too low right now, so tonight the doctor said to not do ANY insulin tomorrow. We'll still check her blood sugar regularly and if she goes too high, we'll call them, but for tomorrow, no shots. Since we caught Amelia so early in the process, her "honeymoon" period may be significant.

I, on the other hand, did not have a good day. Not emotionally. Today was the day we were supposed to leave on our cruise for the Bahamas. We saved all year to be able to go on this trip to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. I know everyone works hard, so I'm not saying we're martyrs or anything, but Mike and I both take on a lot of extra work now to support our family and stay out of debt. These last few months I feel like we've burnt both ends of the candle and then some. I have longed, longed for this coming week where we planned to put it all aside and just focus on each other. To remember that we're married, and not just partners. To remember that we were a family first, before the girls. To just RELAX.

I recognize that most people around the world do not have the luxury of a vacation, so I'm being a whiny butt right now. But my heart is just broken - mostly for my baby girl, but also for myself. Ten years ago, I felt robbed of the unbridled joy that should have accompanied my wedding day when four days earlier, tragedy struck our nation. And today I feel robbed once again.

Tonight my mom went with the girls and me to Walmart to get some of the supplies we need for Amelia. That store is already my personal hell, but as I stood in line for nearly 30 minutes to pay for things I wish so deeply we didn't need, I realized that our ship had left port three hours earlier without us. Talk about a knife in the gut.

We'll get over it. Each day that passes we'll get more accustomed to this new normal, and we'll eventually (mostly) forget about the vacation that never was. But for now, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to.

P.S. If you have called, texted or emailed and I haven't responded yet, I'm sorry. I am just overwhelmed with all there is to do right now, and honestly (again!), sometimes I just don't feel like talking. But please know that it means the world to me that you're reaching out to us, and I will do my best to respond to everyone in time. Please just keep praying for us all!

First day at home, and how you can help

2011-09-02T20:28:00.004-04:00

In the words of my Lily, "I did it!"

Or more appropriately, "We did it!"

We survived our first 24 hours at home with half of our family as type 1 diabetics. We were blessed with several visits from our friends, each bearing gifts or food, but mostly bringing us encouragement that we will survive this.

Amelia has gotten increasingly comfortable throughout the day with her finger pricks and shots. This morning started out as it had been in the hospital. We'd call her over, she'd see the lancet, clench her little fingers in a fist and run away. She was such a sweet girl today (we could really see how much she is loving being home), and in between our visitors, many times she asked to read her "Cinderella Has Diabetes" book so creatively written by her Child Life Specialist at the hospital.

Apparently that book helped a lot, because at dinner tonight when we told her we needed to test her "sugar" as she calls it, she stuck out her finger willingly. Then after dinner, when we told her it was time to give her her shot, she asked for Rufus (her bear with diabetes) to take his too. As soon as he "took" his, she announced, "It's my turn!" We were shocked and I had tears in my eyes as she stuck out her arm for me to do the shot. I am overwhelmed with pride in my brave, brave girl. Then after she was in bed we realized we hadn't checked it again, so we had to go in and get her up to check it. She told me to use her ring (ring finger) and once again, stuck out her hand for me. That kid is my hero.

We have been so honored and humbled by so many people's serious offers of help. The number one question we've been asked though is, "How can we help?" This is hard for me - my guess is it's hard for most of us. We want to be able to do things on our own, much like my Lily who loudly declares, "I do it myself!" with every mundane task throughout the day. But just like Lily often has to sigh and say, "You help me?" five seconds after declaring her independence, I am realizing I too need help. So since you asked...

1) Pray, pray, pray. I know this seems insignificant sometimes, but I am here to say it is not. We have truly felt sustained by the prayers of so many these last few days, and we beg you to keep it up for as long as you can. :) Pray for Amelia to continue to be compliant and have a "happy heart," but also feel the freedom to cry and ask for hugs when she needs to. Pray that her blood sugar would stay level - not too high and not too low. Pray that her parents would have wisdom in how to handle her three-year-old-ness (diabetes or not!), and also know how to be her advocate to the outside world. Pray that we would be able to financially survive this turn in the road. Pray that those around us (jobs, school, church, etc.) would have grace with us during this season when we may not be as "tuned in" as before, and that we would have grace with ourselves as well. And please pray, pray, pray for a cure.

2) Meals. This is the part I feel weird mentioning, but many have asked, so I'll put it out there. Our friend Sara set up a meal calendar for us that has all the details of what kind of things we can eat (short answer: anything; long answer: we need to have separate courses, no casseroles, etc. for now just so we can easily calculate the carbs). Please understand this is no way implying you should be doing this - just for those who are local who were already asking. :)

3) Child care for Lily. We're going to have a slew of new doctor appointments for Amelia coming up, and ideally we would like to NOT take Lily to them. Just email me if you want to have a visit from a curly-headed cutie pie. :)

4) Donate to JDRF. We have been donors to this amazing organization ourselves in the past, so I'm not asking you to do anything we haven't done. We will most definitely be stepping up not only our donations but also our involvement. If you want to make a gift in honor of Amelia, that would be pretty stinking amazing.

5) Ask questions, learn and love. Please don't hesitate to ask us any questions about type 1 diabetes or Amelia. It is not annoying to us and means a whole lot when people care to ask. In fact, I'd much prefer you ask than assume wrongly. You can also check out resources like the American Diabetes Association and JDRF to learn more. It would mean so much to us if the people closest to us took a few minutes to learn what this really means for Amelia and for our family. Unfortunately, as a chronic disease, this will never go away for Amelia, so it will mean a lot to all of us if you understand what she is facing.

Sweet girl refusing to smile for a picture at the koi pond at the hospital. :)

This was not particularly fun to write - like I said, no one likes asking for help. But as my aforementioned friend Sara told me, when we don't allow others to help us, we're robbing them of the joy that comes from helping others. And it's so true - there's nothing that makes me happier than helping a friend in need. So I'll just tell myself I'm really doing you a favor - ha!

Again, you guys, thank you so, so, SO much for all you have already done. This is not how I would have chosen to find out just how amazing our friends and family are, but it is an amazing benefit of this dark time. So thank you.

Diabetes, Day 3 - Going Home

2011-09-01T15:57:00.003-04:00

Sitting here in room 420 of Scottish Rite for a few minutes of peace. Amelia and Mike are out at the playground, and I am waiting on our endo to come by with our discharge instructions. We are so ready to be home in so many ways, yet terrified in so many other ways. Because Amelia's blood sugar has been so low since getting on insulin, we haven't really had to give her that many shots while we were here - in fact, I've done it myself only once. So that makes me super nervous to be going home to do this on our own. Yes, it REALLY helps - like really, really helps - that Mike has this disease too, but it is a good deal more complicated in a three-year-old, and we are both quite nervous.

We had another round of nutrition classes this morning, and then we met with a Child Life Specialist. She was too awesome for words - a young, friendly type 1 diabetic herself. She did some "medical play" with Amelia and Rufus (Amelia's teddy bear who has diabetes too), and she talked with us about all our concerns about Amelia's emotional needs in all of this. Our main concern was how to talk to Amelia about what is happening at an age-appropriate level. Our CLS gave us some great ideas on how to incorporate all of this new stuff into our routine at home too - things like getting Amelia to help us make a band-aid box with all sorts of fun band-aids for her finger-pricked fingers. Now it's just a matter of making this all move from education to practice.

After lunch, we finished up with a bit more educational stuff, and now we're just hanging waiting for the doctor. Then it will be home (and to the pharmacy) and time to figure out what our "new normal" will be. There are so many changes on our horizon. Eventually I know we will be able to do most of what we were doing before, but with Amelia so young and such a "managed disease," I'm also recognizing that a lot of our activities and normal routines will have to be curtailed for a while. My biggest concerns right now - beyond the immediate needs of keeping Amelia healthy and learning how to manage our home life - are how this is going to work with our daycare/pre-school situation. We have a lot to talk about with all of our wonderful friends who run the program. There is a lot for all of us to learn, so Amelia may have to stay home for a while - I'm just not sure. Please include prayers for all of Amelia's caregivers with all the education that awaits all of us.

I have a whole lot of blog posts swirling around in my head - so much I want to say and express - yet I can't seem to get it out on "paper" yet. Hopefully we'll resume our happy "here's our little family - aren't we cute?" posts sooner than later, but you may also see a lot more of my head and heart too, as I can make time to do it. Writing is most definitely my free therapy, so I may use y'all as my shrinks for a while. :)

I feel like every post I write for quite a while will say the two simple words that feel inadequate, but thank you. Thank you for caring, and for loving our little girl so well. This is in no way how I would have wished for things to go for her, or for us, but the support we have felt from so many will stay with all of us forever. So thank you.

Lastly, I'll end this post with Tuesday's entry from the book "Jesus Calling" by Sara Young. It's my favorite devotional, and my sweet friend Jamie (also a type 1 diabetic) sent me this in an encouraging email she sent us on the day of Amelia's diagnosis. It was just too perfect for our situation - God is kind of awesome like that. It also emphasizes the main thing I need prayer for right now: COURAGE.

August 30th

There is no place so desolate that you cannot find ME there. When Hagar fled from her mistress, Sarah, into the wilderness, she thought she was utterly alone and forsaken. But Hagar encountered Me in that desolate place. There she addressed Me as the Living One who sees me. Through that encounter with My Presence, she gained COURAGE to return to her mistress.

No set of circumstances could ever isolate you from My loving Presence. Not only do I see you always; I see you as a redeemed saint, gloriously radiant in My righteousness. That is why I take great delight in you and rejoice over you with singing! Genesis 16:7-14; Psalm 139:7-10; Zephaniah 3:17

Finding God in this place that feels so desolate and receiving courage: that's what I'm praying for.

Day 2 of Diabetes

2011-08-31T21:54:00.004-04:00

Updating here from our second night at Children's Hospital - a true God-send of a place. I am continually amazed by the professionalism, kindness and knowledge of the nurses and doctors here. Especially the nurses. They are inspiring to me.

Today was... full. There wasn't much time to process because we spent most of our day in various classes (general diabetes education, nutrition, etc.), and then keeping Amelia entertained. A HUGE shout out to my parents, who are keeping Lily, running back and forth to the hospital, and my mom in particular who kept Amelia entertained this morning at the hospital when we were in our classes. Then another HUGE shout out to our amazing friend Sara, who is also Mike's coworker. She showed up at the hospital with an awesome butterfly balloon, a princess night gown and slippers, a princess coloring book and crayons. Does Sara know what little girls love or what?! Sara kept Amelia during our afternoon classes, plus long enough for me to take a short power nap and Mike to squeeze in a few minutes of work catch-up. She is without a doubt, the best.

As a side note, Amelia just showed me her band-aid and said, "This is where they took my blood sugar." Yeah, this sucks. My three-year-old shouldn't be saying things like that. Sigh.

Anyway, there's not much to report. Amelia's blood sugar is extremely controlled (almost too low so we're having to do a lot of adjusting. She's clearly still in the early stages of this disease, so her pancreas still has some function). She has had mood swings extraordinaire, which is more likely due to being a three-year-old in a strange place than anything else. She has been a brave, brave girl, but of course she still hates the constant finger pricks and several-shots-a-day routine. They say that will get better pretty quickly. I pray so, because it sucks to hold your screaming kid down several times a day to do that. Sucks big time.

Tomorrow will be much the same. More classes. More finger pricks. More shots. Unfortunately, the reality is that only the classes will soon stop. The finger pricks and shots are for forever. Or until Dr. Amelia Tiemann figures out a cure.

"Thank you" hardly seems adequate for the outpouring of love and support we have felt. Thank God for my iPhone, which has blown up with emails, text messages, Facebook messages, etc. with offers of help, prayers and encouragement. We have truly, deeply felt your love and your prayers on our behalf, and I am not exaggerating when I say it is what is sustaining us right now. Please keep praying and loving, because the weeks, months and even years ahead, we're gonna need them in a big way.

OK, time to try to get this kiddo to sleep. Praying tonight goes better than last night. Also praying we can go home tomorrow night since one more sleepless night might just send this mommy over the edge. I'll end on a positive note with our precious little patient in her new Disney Princess nightgown. I mean, for real, how cute is she?!

Hard news

2011-08-30T14:46:00.002-04:00

I am typing the words I have feared ever since we found out Mike has type 1 diabetes.

My baby girl has type 1 diabetes.

We are at the hospital right now with Amelia. She started feeling puny yesterday, but since Lily and I have been sick, I didn’t think too much of it. Lily woke up with a puffy eye, and Amelia had kept us up most of the night crying for some reason. Since we were supposed to leave Saturday for our cruise (clearly not going now), I decided it would be wise to bring the girls to the pediatrician just to be sure it wasn’t something more than a cold.

I told the doctor that Amelia had been drinking a lot more water than usual the last couple of days. That was all she would ask for when she would wake up crying during the night last night. They had JUST checked her blood sugar on Thursday at her well visit at the pede, but just to be safe, they had her give a urine sample, which they then followed up with a finger prick.
Sure enough, her blood sugar was 252 and there were ketones in her urine.

My amazing pediatrician came in and hugged me and sent us on to Children’s ER. We just spoke with the endocrinologist, and although her levels are not nearly what most people’s are when they get diagnosed (most kids are super sick and have blood sugar levels 500 or above when they get diagnosed. We are actually really blessed to have caught this now. I shudder to think how bad things could have been if we had left for our cruise.), she definitely has type 1 diabetes.

We have in no way processed this, and I don’t know when we’ll get a chance to. We will be at the hospital at least until Friday, while they get her blood sugar regulated and we all go through the educational process of learning how to manage this disease that I hate with all my heart.

Lily will be with my parents, of course.

We don’t know much more than this right now. We will be in survival mode while we figure out how this all works with a three-year-old. It sounds so cliché, but it’s not: the number one thing we need right now is your prayers. Please pray for Amelia to absorb all that she needs to so that she buys into this process of managing her disease. She is already a basket case having been at the doctor and now hospital all day. She is not a fan of not eating either (who would be?). It would be fabulous if she could have a “happy heart” as we say around our house, because it just makes things that much harder when she’s disagreeable.

And selfishly, pray for Mike and me. Like I said, nothing has sunk in for us yet, but as the truth gradually seeps in, my heart just breaks that much more.

Two and three in photos

2011-08-29T22:05:00.010-04:00

I posted a sneak peak of the girls' birthday photo shoot a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to share the rest for the few of you not on Facebook. :) Not to mention, I do still plan on making the blog into a book (or books at this point) for the girls to have one day, so I wanted to get this preciousness on here. I know I am biased, but y'all, this is some sweetness. Prepare yourself for an onslaught of photos though...

If you're still with us at after all 30-odd photos, well done. :) And don't forget to check out Kellie Honea Photography if you're in the market for family photos - she is the best!!

Celebrating Amelia

2011-08-20T21:16:00.005-04:00

Since tomorrow is Lily's birthday, I figured I should get the blog updated with Amelia's birthday photos - ha! Life has been a bit crazy lately, to understate it, and as much as I would love to keep the blog current like I used to, it seems to have moved further down the list for me. I have had three colds this summer - have one right now, in fact - and I'm sure it's in no small part due to the "burning the candle at both ends" syndrome I seem to constantly battle. I'm still trying to figure out how to balance it all - mommyhood, working two jobs yet being at home most days with the girls, trying to lose weight, and then just LIFE. I guess the nature of a balancing act is that it's nearly impossible to have things at a perfect state of equilibrium at any given time. There's always something just slightly heavier that throws the balance off and sends you scurrying to somehow lighten that load...

Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be about me. It's about her.

Our first born. And how we made her third birthday special for her.

We started out with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast - with whipped cream, of course!

Then her big present of the day - an easel!

It has a chalkboard on one side and a dry erase board on the other, and it's been a BIG hit with both girls.

Yes, we do find chalk and dry erase crayon (a WONDERFUL invention!) drawings on all sorts of things other than the easel, but thankfully Crayola wasn't joking when they put "washable" on all their products.

Then it was time for Daddy to go to work, so the girls and I had a fun day hanging out together. We went to Toys 'R' Us to spend Amelia's $3 gift card she got from them, as well as the $3 her sweet great-grandma Mimi sent her. She had such fun picking out her own toy (Lightning McQueen, to match the Mater her Daddy gave her earlier that day) and walking around the store with her balloon and birthday crown on. Everyone was wishing her a happy birthday, and I was so proud of how outgoing she was - thanking people and smiling. This little girl has come a loooong way!

That night we had some of her favorite foods (mac 'n' cheese, of course) and followed it up with a super fun Gigi's cupcake. Yum-O!

Later on that week, we took some cake pops up to Amelia's class for her to share with her sweet classmates.

Here she is with her sweet friend Abigail. This girl has just been the best influence on Amelia - she's incredibly friendly and outgoing, and I credit sweet Abigail with helping Amelia come out of her shell more at school.

A couple of weeks later, we had our big (and I mean BIG) party for the girls in our backyard, so there is more birthday posting to come. Amelia probably thinks birthdays last a month, based on the way we keep celebrating. Especially since the birthday parade starts with her Aunt Erin's birthday in July and goes to Grandma Ann, Amelia, Mike, my mom, Lily, and my Dad - all in July and August! Insanity. You can see why it's been a bit hard to lose weight these last few weeks!

Thankfully tomorrow ends the celebrating, as Lily turns two and my Dad turns mumble mumble.

Until we meet again...

Sneak peak of the girls' birthday photos!

2011-08-07T14:57:00.004-04:00

Oh my GOODNESS, I can hardly stand how awesome these photos are. This is the second time the amazing Kellie Honea has photographed our girls, and I couldn't be happier. She is extremely affordable and even more talented. You must check her out if you live in the Atlanta area and are looking for a photographer.

I seriously could not be happier with our "sneak peak!" There are a few more photos on Kellie's blog, so check it out. And stay tuned for more photos to come!!

Lily's personality in pictures

2011-08-06T20:17:00.000-04:00

The only thing missing is a picture of her giant bear hugs and her mad dancing skillz. We love our sweet Silly Lily!

Dr. Amelia Tiemann?

2011-08-04T20:12:00.000-04:00

Amelia got a doctor kit for her birthday last year, but we put it up until she was just a bit older.

We broke it out the other day, and it's a BIG hit. Now, in addition to eating faux food and having tea parties, we spend our days taking blood pressure and giving shots.

Guess we'll need to do a bit more explaining about what this one is for. :)

First movie for Miels

2011-08-02T20:06:00.000-04:00

One of Amelia's favorite movies is Cars, so it was only fitting that her first "real" movie be Cars 2.

She did great - we had one potty break, but other than that, we stayed in our seats the entire movie.

I'm sure the fries we got her to eat didn't hurt. :)

What a sweet memory for the three of us (well, at least two of us - ha!). Thanks, mom and dad, for watching Lils to let us have some special time with our first born.

Sweet hugs

2011-07-30T20:02:00.000-04:00

There are few things sweeter than two sisters hugging after bathtime...

... Well, perhaps two sisters hugging just before bedtime. :)

Welcoming Addyson Lanier Faulkner into the world

2011-07-29T21:21:00.005-04:00

On Wednesday night, my kid sister had her first baby! She was due on Tuesday and her blood pressure was up at her 40-week appointment, so they sent her to the hospital to induce. Roughly 24 hours later, at 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27 (yep, a day after Amelia's birthday and five days before Mike's!), Addyson Lanier Faulkner entered the world.

My sister did great. She was suffering from a severe toothache (not related to the pregnancy, of course, but just something she couldn't have worked on because of the pregnancy), and then started running a high fever, but she was brave and pushed (quite literally!) on through.

We had all gathered at the hospital by 5:00 that night, including Mike and the girls. I was so proud of MY babies - they hung out at the hospital with essentially no toys or TV for five hours. Not an easy feat for a 23-month-old and a three-year-old! But they seemed to love all the family love and attention.

While we were waiting on Addyson to "come down to Georgia from Israel," as Erin's hilarious nurse put it, we went to the hospital's McDonald's for dinner. The girls have maybe eaten at Mickey D's three times, so Amelia kept calling it "Old McDonald." Hilarious. While we were eating, we were talking about our new roles - that I'd be an aunt now and Mike would be an uncle. Amelia asked, "Will I be a girl uncle?" Again, hilarious. That girl cracks me up!

We headed back to Erin's room after dinner in time to give her hugs and kisses before "the time" had come. Erin pushed for about 30 minutes I think, and at 8:50, Addyson entered our world. While we were (un)patiently waiting outside for all the post-delivery fun to happen, Erin texted a pic of our sweet baby. We were all in tears and whooping and hollering. It was so fun to be on the other side of this baby stuff, I've got to say. Especially when a c-section wasn't involved (praise God!).

Finally we got to go back and meet our sweet Addy (who I ridiculously introduced myself to as "Aunt Erin." Sleep deprivation is serious, y'all.) She immediately stole all our hearts - even the girls'.

The next day we all went back to the hospital after work to get some more Addy love and let Mike get to hold her. Bless his heart, he worked so hard to keep our crazy girls happy for those five hours and then didn't get to hold Addyson that night. He's quite the proud uncle!

Poor Addy is still in the hospital due to severe jaundice caused by all the bruising she received during delivery. We were all so sad to see her under the bright blue phototherapy light, but dang if she still isn't the most precious thing ever!

Seriously, check out that sweet little mouth!

Thankfully Erin was able to "nest" another night at the hospital (in other words, stay in a room without nursing care), so she didn't have to go home without Addy. But please pray big prayers with us that Addyson can come home tomorrow so we can all love on her the way we want to!

Thanks be to God, the Author and Giver of life for this amazing blessing in our lives. We already love little Addyson so very much. And thanks to my baby sis for making me an aunt - already one of my most favorite roles in life!

The Tale of a Cookie

2011-07-28T20:37:00.001-04:00

Mmmm. This is a good cookie.

What's that?

Yeah, sure I have chocolate on my mouth.

I mean, who wouldn't? This cookie is incredible!

Hmmm, I wonder if they'd let me have another one?

I mean, I've only had one so far.

No? Seriously?

Happy Birthday, sweet Amelia

2011-07-26T07:31:00.001-04:00

Three years ago today, this little spirited being entered the world and our souls.

She kept us on our toes from the beginning, but we wouldn't change her spit-fire spirit for a thing.

(BIRTHday)

(First birthday)

(Second birthday)

Amelia can be a bit reserved around others, but to her family, we know her as the little girl with a heart of gold who talks all day, dances at the drop of a hat, and loves her family most of all.

Her two-(now, three!)-year-old self is constantly at war with the compassionate, sensitive person God made her to be, but we see more and more of that person with every passing day.

She has shown empathy and kindness beyond her years, and she loves fiercely. We've often said Lily has a dog-like personality and Amelia a cat, because she makes you earn her love and trust. But when you're in with Amelia, you're in.

This little girl's smile melts my heart, and three years into her sweet life, I could not imagine mine without her.

Amelia, your mommy loves you. More than you know.

The baby's baby pool

2011-07-24T14:18:00.003-04:00

My sister and her husband are due to have their first baby any day now, so recently we went to their house to check out the nursery (which looks AMAZING!). They were sweet to break out of one of Addyson's baby presents for the girls to enjoy. As you can tell, they were big fans. The baby pool is always a win for these two.

Blink and she misses it

2011-07-17T21:08:00.004-04:00

Sundays are busy around here. It's Mike's BIG day at work - the day he works toward all week long. Obviously he leaves long before we do, so it's up to me to get the girls ready and out the door. Our church, unfortunately, is not in our community - we had just moved to this area when Mike got the job down at Buckhead. Thirty minutes in the car isn't awful, but it's the kiss of death in one respect: nap time.

Amelia used to fall asleep in the car on the way home every Sunday. I would sing at the top of my lungs, make all sorts of ridiculous noises, roll the windows up and down... Seriously, I'm sure I gave people quite an entertaining ride up GA 400. Then one day I had the bright idea to feed the girls lunch as we go home. This worked for a while. But now Amelia is in this bad habit of getting really sleepy right as we get close to home, and if her eyes so much as blink for an extra millisecond, then forget nap time at home. It's so frustrating, especially since it's the one day I have a chance to take a nap myself, and it's also the day that Mike crashes hard.

That was a lot of back story to explain these photos, but alas. I present to you what happens when my plan to keep the girls awake backfires.

The crazy thing is, Lily slept for 15 minutes in the car, woke up when we got home and I cleaned her off, and still went back to sleep for a four-hour nap that afternoon. That girl can SLEEP. Amelia, on the other hand, thought about sleep for a second in the car, and then promptly stayed awake all afternoon. Sigh.

Summertime Treats, part 2

2011-07-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

We really don't give our girls very many sweets. Sugar is my downfall, and I want my girls to view it as the treat it should be, not an everyday occurrence. During the summer, however, we do have a few more treats than usual, because who can resist the occasional popsicle when it's 90-plus degrees outside, or an after-dinner treat of ice cream?

Especially now that we discovered... Scoops! It's this adorable ice cream shop near our house that offers all sorts of treats. It looks like an old-fashioned candy store, and if it's sweet, they sell it. The girls get a free scoop too, so who can resist that?!

They always go for the Superman - it's vanilla, but all sorts of fun colors, so of course, it's what all the kids order.

Yay for summertime indulgences!

Christmas card photo?

2011-07-11T20:36:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I forgot to post this on my blog, but I had to get it up here...

As most of you know, Lil Jon, Atlanta rapper and entrepreneur, was on The Celebrity Apprentice earlier this year, playing for the Children's Home where I work. He won $80,000 for us, as well as really raising our profile. We threw an appreciation event for him after the show ended, which was a lot of fun.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the funniest and most unlikely Tiemann family photo ever.

(My favorite part is how utterly unimpressed Amelia seems. Ha!)

Blog or bust

2011-07-09T18:22:00.004-04:00

My blog has gotten to be a bit feast or famine lately. The freelance writing projects have been flowing lately (thank you, Jesus!) so when I'm writing, I'm not blogging. Then when I finish a project, I try to spend several hours catching up on the blog, scheduling posts out for a couple of weeks. All that to say, for my two or three faithful readers, namely grandparents and other family members, I apologize. I'm doing my best to keep this up because I do love it and love journaling our lives this way. It's just taken a back seat for now!

I stole a few minutes while the girls eat dinner tonight (Mike and I are having steak after they go to bed - yum yum!) to post a few photos. These are from one of Lily's amazing teachers at Weekday. They're a couple of months old at least, and Lily has quite some nose action going on, but they're still pretty darn cute!

Summertime treats

2011-07-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

There are few things better than a popsicle on a hot, summer day.

Except maybe hugs from mommy while you eat the pop. :)

Random iPhone photos, part two

2011-06-30T21:37:00.000-04:00

You might be a dad of two girls if...

She always tells me she's talking to Poppa

The girls' favorite pastime right now - making food for a party. Sometimes it's for their babies; sometimes it's for them.

They're really into sidewalk chalk right now.

They're both obsessed with reading right now too. Which is fun... to a point. :)

St. Augustine

2011-06-29T21:01:00.001-04:00

On Memorial Weekend we were blessed to have a fun family getaway thanks to some sweet friends who let us stay in their condo in St. Augustine.

I love St. Augustine but we've never taken the girls to the beach without help (aka, grandparents), so I wasn't sure how much fun we'd actually have. :) But we were pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get to the beach with the girls.

The first day we went to a beach that was about a 10 minute drive from the condo. We parked across the street from the beach and walked on a pedestrian bridge over the road to find this...

Yep, a practically empty beach! We couldn't believe it!

My sweet college friend Carla came over from Jacksonville to spend the day with us, but somehow I didn't get one photo of her! At any rate, it was great to catch up with her and have her get to know the girls better.

On day two, we headed into a local state park - Anastasia State Park . It was a further walk in the sand to get to the ocean, but it was worth it for the beautiful beach. One thing that is different about these beaches from the gulf is the sheer amount of beach. The girls found this to be the best part too, as they spent a long time just running in circles around us.

One tired girl at the end of the day.

By the third day at the beach, the girls were pretty fearless, for better or worse. It was wonderful to see them so in love with the water!
(I apologize for the shakiness of this video!)

We ended the trip with a super fun treat, visiting a dear friend of mine from high school. Johnna and Steve have three girls who are just precious, and our girls had a great time playing with them.

It was a long ride back, and the girls weren't exactly the road warriors they usually are. By the end we were all stir crazy, but Amelia was probably the craziest of all:

It really was a wonderful getaway for us, even though Lily wasn't herself (we found out why later on that week when she was diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth). It made me excited for future trips since these things are just getting easier and more fun as the girls get older. Many thanks to Kelly and Oleg for making it possible for us!!!

She is my sunshine

2011-06-28T20:57:00.000-04:00

One day Lily wouldn't nap but I was super sleepy and wanted to rest, so I brought her into our room to see if she'd sleep in our bed. Alas, she would not, but her spontaneous singing more than made up for it.

She really is my sunshine.

The piano!

2011-06-27T21:29:00.001-04:00

We are so excited to welcome the newest member to our family... a piano!

Through an interesting twist of events, we received this piano for free, plus a check from a benefactor to get it tuned! What a blessing! We just had to arrange to get it picked up, so Greg (my brother-in-law) and his truck saved the day, plus a couple of our awesome neighbors who helped Greg and Mike.

P.S. Amelia's concert was before the piano was tuned. ;)

Their hair

2011-06-26T20:52:00.000-04:00

Lily has some serious bed head in the mornings. Here she is watching some Shirley Temple - gotta give her some context for all the comparisons!

Can you believe how long Lily's hair is when it's wet? (And it's not even fully straight!)

And Miels' hair is getting sooo long too.

I know I'm baised, but I just love their hair. :)

Sick day

2011-06-25T21:17:00.000-04:00

Early in June, Lily was sick and had to stay home with daddy. They made the best of it though!

A bummer she was sick, but pretty sure she loved the time with daddy!

Pig tails

2011-06-24T20:32:00.000-04:00

I mean, come ON!

Is there anything cuter than a kid in pig tails?!

I think not!

Stone Mountain-it

2011-06-23T21:10:00.001-04:00

For Mother's Day weekend, we took my mom on an adventure - her first hike up Stone Mountain (or Stone Mountain-it, as they like to remind me I called it as a child).

My mom has lived less than 15 minutes from Stone Mountain for 33 years and never climbed it! So it was time to change that.

My "mini-me" was super excited about the hike.

The girls had to have a little pre-hike nourishment.

Then we were off! We were so proud of Amelia - she did almost the entire climb by herself!

We love our mom and grandma very much, and had fun sharing one of our favorite hobbies with her for Mother's Day!

That "W" makes me laugh every time

2011-06-22T21:14:00.000-04:00

Random iPhone photos

2011-06-21T20:47:00.001-04:00

If you're my friend on Facebook, you've seen some of these, but since Facebook may not be around forever, thought I'd get them on here too. :)

The girls had a spring program at school.

Try as she may, Amelia still can't figure out how to ride her tricycle. Her legs just recently got long enough to actually move the pedals though, so hopefully now she can make progress.

That's my girl - already loves her mama's guacamole and salsa. She had plenty en utero, so that probably helps. :)

An answered prayer

2011-06-20T21:09:00.003-04:00

Every night

I pray that the girls

will be best friends.

So far,

so good.

Showering my sis

2011-06-19T21:46:00.000-04:00

My little sister is having a baby girl in July (due on Amelia's birthday, actually!), and I was honored to throw her a shower, along with Erin's sister-in-law, the fabulous Hannah. She had quite the turn out; we literally could not have fit another person in the room unless they sat in her lap - ha! But it was fun to see a bunch of old friends, and Erin was "showered" with some amazing gifts.

"A" is for "Addyson," my niece's name!

I'm mortified to post this photo - helLO bad posture! My piano teacher would cringe to see this; she used to always lecture me on my awful posture. In my defense, I was in a good deal of nerve pain that day, but still! Anyway, I wanted to include a photo of Erin and me, so there ya go.

Can't wait to meet baby Addyson!!!

Love my little princess girl

2011-06-18T20:53:00.000-04:00

While I really loved all the pomp and circumstance of the royal wedding...

I must say that it makes me really happy to know that Amelia was glued to the TV...

Not because there was a prince or a princess...

But because there were horses.

'Atta girl. I love that she doesn't see the world through pink-colored lenses just yet.