Blizzard '09

One of the local weather forecasters kept referring to the storm that hit this past weekend as Blizzard '09 and Eric and I just laughed, so I can't not refer to it as Blizzard '09! We enjoyed the storm. I think Amarillo had 9.9 inches of snow with 5ft drifts. Mali had fun playing outside in the huge snow drifts. She played with Asa and even dropped Aspen in one of the drifts. Eric and I tag teamed with each other with playing outside with Mali in the snow. We each enjoyed helping build a snowman and snow ball fights. Mali and I finished the snowman (with oreo cookies for eyes that Mali ate) and then made snow ice cream. We had a ton of fun. I really enjoy the nice, big snows and playing outside with Mali and watching her play. Eric also finally caved and bought the Wii he has been wanting, so we finished the Blizzard of '09 with some Wii time. Here are a few of our pictures from the storm. Make sure and watch the slideshow too, it has a lot more pictures.

Practicing Rolling Over

Eleri started "practicing" rolling over about 2 weeks ago, but of course I can't ever get it videoed. Here is the closest.

Let the Ulcers Begin

I asked Eric to title this post, and that is what he chose...let the ulcers begin. No, football has not begun and soccer season ended on Tuesday with a 1-3 loss in the playoffs. But another soccer season has started...Mali's. Eric is coaching Mali's little girls soccer team, and he said his blood pressure feels really high after their first practice. I laughed the whole time during practice because I could just tell he was frustrated with Mali. The 3 other girls that are on her team played in the fall so they could dribble pretty well. To top off the wonderful practice, the moms all decided to name the team "The Divas". Poor Eric! However, this is the guy that bought her pink soccer shoes, pink socks and pink shin guards. Mali didn't do bad in my estimation...she's 4! But I did think her kicks were very dainty and she did fall on her rear several times when she was trying to kick. In the car, Eric asked her if she had fun and she said that she did, so that is all that matters to me, and the lessons she will learn about playing through the pain and then perseverance and not quitting.
Little bitty princess kicks is what Eric said of Mali's soccer skills. He was very concerned about her lack of soccer skills today. Thankfully, a senior Amarillo High soccer player is going to help Eric, and I think that will help Mali. The other girls listened so well because Eric isn't their dad and Mali didn't want Dad to tell her what to do.
Some of our favorite Mali sayings from practice today:
"My legs hurt" (after about 1 minute of kicking.
Eric looked over when she was supposed to be dribbling the ball, and she was eating a cracker while dribbling.
"I want my bag".
"Dad, I can't do it."
"I'm going to get my bag" and Eric responded by kicking her ball and said, "then just stay there". I was just laughing and laughing.
Mali's sum of what happened was that when we got to the car Daddy had a talk with me and that my legs weren't strong enough because I sit and watch cartoons. Now, to clarify, Mali does not spend most of the day watching TV. We spend a lot of time playing outside and recently she has been playing all by herself in the backyard with the dogs. But, she has not had the same level of activity outside as some other kids do. A lot of that is because I'm inside with Eleri.
This is a pretty scattered post, sorry, I just had to blog about this before I forgot and before the blizzard hits!:) Here are some pictures

Eleri is 8 weeks old and full of smiles

Eleri is 8 weeks old and she is getting so big. No more newborn little baby! Eleri is doing great, we don't have her 2 month well check until April 3rd, so I don't know her stats, but she certainly feels heavier and looks bigger. There are a few 0-3 clothes that aren't fitting as well and most newborn clothes are very tight on her little feet and legs. We have moved her into size 1 diapers too. She is doing great and still such a sweet baby. Her smiles are so big and sweet. She also does this cute little lip quiver that is just unique to her and so cute. Eleri does hate her car seat and screams as soon as you put her in there. I'm learning the way to overcome that since we have to get in the car so much to take big sister to preschool and ballet. That is really Eleri's only difficult time. She loves to smile and talk. I love just starting at her and talking with her as well. Her big smiles make my day! Eleri still looks for her big sister, but does seem to become fussy more often now if big sister is crowding her. Eleri made it through her first church service, although Nana did leave a little early with her when clapping woke her up from her nap. Eleri has been practicing rolling over. 3 times she has rolled over, or rather "fallen over". Last night I proved it to Eric because he didn't believe me, but I still can't seem to really get it caught on camera. At about 6 weeks old, Eleri started going up to 5 hours at night between her first feeding and pretty much put herself on a predictable schedule. So, our nights typically look like this: feed at 7ish and then she has dropped that "nap", feed at 9ish and then she will sleep until 2am, wake up around 4:30 or 5 and eat, and then is up between 6:30-7:30am. Most of the time at night she does really great and eats and goes back to sleep fairly easily. Nap time has been a little bit of a struggle and I just feel like a failure with it, but most of the reason I can't do what I want to do is because Eleri is the 2nd born! We are dealing with the 45 minute intruder, where she goes to sleep but wakes up 45 minutes before she needs to eat pretty much without fail. Most of the time I end up just putting her in the swing and she goes back to sleep until she needs to eat. I keep thinking that I need to work harder at getting her back to sleep in her cradle. Speaking of, she is still in our room, I had moved Mali out at this age, but I think she'll stay a little longer!:) I know that once my brain starts functioning a little more during the day, I'll probably think of more Eleri things, but for now this is all my brain can think of (FYI there is a study that shows that your brain shrinks with pregnancy but then returns to normal, no
wonder!!!)
We continue to adjust and learn life with 2 girls. I feel like I'm constantly stretched and holding someone or caring for someone and barely take time to breathe on my own, in fact I don't even shower by myself right now because it is easier to shower with Mali and get two things knocked out at once. Even so, I love it and love my sweet Eleri. She is so precious to us, as is Mali. God is sustaining me (I rarely get a nap) and teaching me how to lean on Him. I feel incredibly blessed to have these two girls in my life and look at them as such miracles.
And, just quickly, I had my last OB appointment and am released to resume normal activity, however, I do have a small hernia. I'm not worried at this point about it, but am glad to know why I've still had such pain on one side!

Daddy Time

The girls got some extra Daddy Time, which is so precious, especially when he is in the middle of a sport. Here is a video of the girls and their Daddy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Spring Break and Birthday Celebrations

This week has gone by so fast already. Eric has been off on spring break and we've really enjoyed having him home, although he has had a major list of projects to get done during his time off.
This is a list of what Eric accomplished this week:
Eric cleaned out the flowerbeds of all of the tumble weeds that make their home there, fertilized them and added compost and compost tea, then added new mulch. When Eric was carrying the compost to the flowerbeds Mali started cheering him on. We laughed so hard because she said "that's my boy". We spent Tuesday cleaning Mali's room. This was quite the feat. Eric also fixed Mali's bed so that the head board no longer leans. Her room looks great. We also talked with her and established rules for how she needs to keep her room clean. Eric made several trips to Home Depot and Lowe's with Mali to get ideas and plans for building a small storage shed. Eric also maintainenced his lawnmower and weed eater. Split firewood with a hand held axe and hammer (yes it is spring now and we probably won't need the firewood until winter) with the help of Mali. Staining the concrete patio in the back. Convinced tree trimmer to lower their charge for trimming our trees to 1/3 of original quote. In between all of this, Eric coached soccer (Varsity is in the playoffs now) and watched the girls so that I could work with my client each day. Don't feel too sorry for him, he also got to play golf two days during the week. I'm sure he also got some time in to hold his baby girl and enjoy her sweet smiles. Eric got lots of time with Mali and they had special dates throughout the week. It was fun to have an extra set of hands home and to watch Eric love on his princesses.
We also celebrated my birthday throughout the week...29 today!!! On Tuesday, Eric took Mali shopping for my birthday and not surprisingly she gave me my present as soon as they got home (good smelling lotion). On Wednesday, the Dallas family came to town. We had a great time with them. Mali, Zach and Calyn all got along the entire time. The highlight had to be when the older kids dressed up. Whenever I need a laugh, I'm going to picture that, but keep the rest of you in suspense as to what they looked like. We got to eat at an ice cream/burger joint and the kids had ice cream made to look like clowns for dessert. After a big lunch (and Miss Abby eating all my fries:)), we went to the zoo. Tim and Beth took everyone while I sat in the warm sun and fed Eleri. After the zoo, we went to play at the Southwest park and got out lots of energy! Eleri was pretty fussy every time we were in the car, but other than that it was great. After hanging out for longer at our house, the kids ran around the front yard. Mali came up to me and told me that her underwear were wet because she had peed in the grass. I told her to go change. Then as everyone was loading up, Beth was making sure that her kids had used the bathroom. Zach told her he had but I never saw him go inside. Later, it finally clicked, when Mali was telling us she peed in the grass just like Zach! It was a great day!

Continuing in celebration, my good friend Sara, who shares the same birthday, came down. She stopped at Chili's and brought lunch to the house. It was so good to catch up with her and hear all about what God was doing in her life and see the fruit of her being planted in Lubbock again. Sara was amazing with Mali (she teaches 3 year olds at the CDRC at Tech) and we got to talk about some of Mali's developmental issues.

Friday my dad and Terry took me out to eat at Abuelo's. For the first time in a long time, Eleri did not scream in the car, and slept through lunch. It was so nice and relaxing and I even indulged in a good Dr. Pepper with seemingly no effect on Eleri. Megan and Chris came too.
Today has been a good day as well. I received a beautiful, sweet, big smile from Eleri first thing this morning! Mali came into my room and gave me a sweet girl kiss on the cheek. Eric brought coffee when he came in from Dalhart and we enjoyed wonderful bagels from The Bagel Place. Brandon came in for lunch and took us to Young's Sushi Bar. It was good and fun to do something out of the ordinary down town. Then we went to Coulter Gardens to look at flowers! It has been a great 29th birthday so far. We are headed to Dalhart tonight so that we can be there for Jordan and Chrissy's baby shower tomorrow.


St. Patrick's Day

Full Circle

One of the sweetest moments for me of parenting a preschooler/toddler has been moments that come full circle...memories that I remember from my childhood that I get to expose Mali to or see her enjoy.
Yesterday it snowed a beautiful snow here in Amarillo (after 80 degree days). The snow flakes reminded me of snow flakes in Ouray when it would snow. To celebrate, we enjoyed hot chocolate piled high with whip cream. Mali was so excited about this surprise. And the taste of the whip cream just reminded me so much of going to the Silver Nugget with my mom and drinking hot chocolate there!
The second memory I've wanted to blog about for a while, but haven't made the time. My dad came over wearing a Burger King crown the other day and brought Mali one too. This is such a strong memory from my childhood. Every time we went to Burger King to eat with my dad (often on the way to the airport for us to go back home), he would put on a crown when we stood in line and wear it the whole time. It is one of those things that as a child you act like embarrasses you, but really it is comforting because it was who my dad was! I secretly loved that he did that! So now it is full circle, and I'm no where near embarrassed, but thrilled to see my daughter and dad enjoying those sweet memories that I have.

6 weeks

Today Eleri is 6 WEEKS old! I feel so incredibly blessed to have had these 6 weeks with her. Moments have been hard, but overall it has really been such a joy to have her as an addition to our family. I still think of the moment I got to see her and how amazing and wonderful it was to meet her. And I continue to feel that way when she smiles at me and as I watch her grow and changed. I feel so much love for her and awe at the little baby she is. She is doing great. Eleri is using her hands more and starting to grab and grasp really well. She enjoys her tummy time and is very good at holding her neck up, in fact she loves to be propped up upright so she can see her little world. She still loves talking to big sister, but also acts like she needs more space and quiet moments too. Her hair is growing!!! There is much more in the back now and some of the whisps in the front are curling a little. Eleri's skin is getting lighter too!:( I know so sad with how wonderful her skin tone was before. But now I see some splotchiness that is common in fair skinned complexions. I know she is going to be just beautiful no matter what. She loves to smile and talk talk talk! Her 5 hour naps are gone...that lasted two nights and then she got sick and we left town. But I'm still hopeful for the days that will come that she does sleep longer. I'm almost, almost, sad at the idea of her only getting up once or not at all because it will mean she is older! However, I really look forward to not getting up 3 or 4 times a night, when the time is right. I just love my sweet little princess and the joy and amazement she brings to our lives! And, last night Eric and I got our first alone time. It was amazing, and such a God thing. Mali ended up falling asleep in her room about 6, and I laid Eleri down at 6, and we were all alone eating dinner together. Eric was sweet to take that time to ask me how I was doing, and we got to talk. It was really really nice.

Mali Moments

Yesterday we had Mali's parent/teacher conference at pre-school. She is doing great. Mrs. Knapp evaluated her and said that she was ahead of most of her kids, primarily because she is the 2nd oldest in the class. Mrs. Knapp even recommended that, if we wanted to, she could attend 5 year old pre-k next year instead of 4 year old preschool. We are going to pray and seek wisdom on that before we make a decision though. Mali can write her name and recognize her name and spell her name. Although recently she started writing it backwards. Eric and I are a little concerned about this because she also reads right to left, even on the digital clock. The other day it was 11:55 and she said "s, s, 1, 1". Any of you early childhood people out there, feel free to comment on that one! Mrs. Knapp said that she tests limits and is a show off, but that she would be worried if she didn't do that because she is 4! She also said Mali is very active and needs physical activity and to be challenged. Mali makes friends well and approaches others to engage in play instead of waiting for others to approach her. She also prefers to play with the kids in her class that are older. Mrs. Knapp also said that Mali expresses love for God and Jesus and shows love for others. (That is except for me, or whomever disciplines her!:( )Mali is really doing great in school, we are very proud of her and thankful for her teacher Mrs. Knapp. At home, she is doing good, she battles constantly and I feel like I'm just not giving her something that she needs. I'm praying for wisdom and that God would show me what I can do to make her feel loved and not act out. She has shown great hostility towards me. Thankfully, I'm pretty thick skinned, but it is draining me. Over Spring Break, Eric and I plan on really making a plan to cope with her behavior problems. We'll see how that goes. When she is sweet, she is sweet. We've enjoyed some fun times of playing at the park and playing outside with all the warm weather. Mali has shown compassion towards our dogs and spends a lot more time with them outside doctoring them. I'm pretty sure Aspen is traumatized from it all. Yesterday was ballet watch day. I was so proud of her. Mali IS following her teacher's directions so much better this semester and showed such personality in the dances. It seemed to me that tap was Mali's thing (Mimi was a tap dancer when she was little)! I loved watching her have fun and be so happy.

Mali Video

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mali is the caboose again. She is in the back row in pink! This is their tap dance. Yesterday was watch day at ballet. Mali really shined in the tap dance!

Eleri Video

This is the latest with Eleri! She LOVES to smile and talk!

On a side note, I took Eleri in for a sick visit (she just has a cold not RSV or anything worse!!!) and she weighs 9lbs!!

Name the baby....

Who is this baby??? It is ME! Since we are in Dalhart, I got a baby picture of me. This is the day that I was born. Compared to Eleri, it seems that she looks like me when I was a baby.

And, to be fair, here is a picture of Eric as a baby/toddler. I have a few pictures of Mali that look just like this!

A Few Eleri Pictures

Here are the latest pictures of Miss Eleri. She has been doing great, although she is getting a little sick with a cough and congestion, no fun for a 5 week old baby girl.

Meeting Uncle "J" for the first time. Jove kept kicking Eleri's rear when Aunt Chrissy was holding Eleri.

Eleri meeting Great Grandpa Hopson and Great Grammy Hopson.

Bathtime!

Smiling in her sleep!

5 hours

Last night, Eleri went 5 hours between feedings!!!!! I fed her at 7:15pm and then Eric put her down so I could shower and go to bed early, and she didn't wake up until 12:30am!!! We have hit a milestone, although I do not expect it to happen consistently yet. The bad thing was that I didn't get that much sleep, I got to bed a little after 9:30pm and then at 11pm, Mali started crying. I got up to take care of her and she had wet the bed, this was the second night in a row!!! So once again I was unmaking and making her bed and trying my best to be compassionate (I wasn't successful but hopefully have learned a lesson for next time). Eleri has been doing well with her naps too, for the most part. I have been putting her in her cradle during the day to sleep with her pacifier and sound machine (she likes the ocean sounds the best). The go go go of taking Big Sister to and from preschool has hampered some naps, but Eleri is falling in step with napping some where else other than our arms! AND, I did get a nap today!:) Wish us luck as we try our first venture....to Dalhart tomorrow.

There'll Be Days Like These Momma Said

Yesterday was one of those days!!! It began at 5:30am when I fed Eleri and then she didn't want to go back to sleep. Finally about 6:45 she fell asleep in her craddle and I in my bed. My last thought was, if Mali sleeps until 8:30 then I can still get 2 hours of sleep. WRONG! Next thing I knew, Mali was at the side of my bed and it was 6:59am!!!! I knew that I was a little grumpy and on edge all day, but it also made me cry out to God and seek him more desperately because there was NO way I could do it in my flesh. The rest of the day went okay, Eleri had a crying spell when we loaded into the car for me to make a Dr. Pepper run to Sonic. Finally, it was time for ballet. A friend called to see if I could pick up her daughter, so we loaded up quickly and made it just after the start of ballet with 3 girls. I had to feed Eleri at ballet and then ended up holding her for a while. When I went to put her in her carseat, she cried and cried and was not comforted at all. My friend Julie, helped me put her in the car, she was still crying. Then Mali "fell" in the car and started crying. I was in a hurry to get home. Both girls are crying and Mali will not get buckled in, so I'm (confession time) yelling at her to buckle in. I back up and feel the car hit something, my first thought was that it was the curb, but NO it was a car!!! So I get out of the car and give the lady my insurance info (she is a ballet mom too), I'm shaking and crying. Thankfully, Julie was still there, so she washed her hands and held Eleri's pacifier in while I talked with the other lady. I barely hit the front of her car, thankfully, but it still did a little damage, and I HATE messing up. The truth is, there was just too much going on and I wasn't paying close enough attention, but every time I back out at ballet I'm always worried about hitting someone because it is a tight squeeze, and when I had my belly I couldn't turn around and see. So, we finally all get back in the car, Eleri starts crying again. And, I'm crying too. I start singing Jesus Loves Me to calm Eleri down. I'm still crying, Eleri's not crying, and then Mali starts crying because "when the song is beautiful it makes me cry". TOO MUCH estrogen in our car. When we get home, Eric takes Eleri who is still crying. Off and on he calms her, but she didn't stop crying until about 7:30 (ballet is over at 5:30). In the middle of this, a friend from BSF stops by with her two kids in a stroller and her husband and they ask if they can take Mali to our park for about 15 minutes. It was such a blessing. Even though it was one of those days, God provided for me with Julie and Jonna's help.
I've also decided my new 'Mission Statement' as a mom is to make beauty out of chaos, or at least make that my perspective. So I was thinking about this as all of this is going on. I read this quote "The good mother is a great artist ever creating beauty out of chaos "(Alice Randall), and although it isn't scripture, it did make me think of how God makes Beauty out of Chaos as well just as Isaiah 61: 3 says "to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor." I hope after days like these, I will be like an Oak, solid in my Faith in my Father who turns this chaos into beauty for Him!

Best Friend

Proverbs 17:17 NIV
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 18:24 NIV
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

This weekend my BEST friend, Carrie, came for a visit. We have been friends since my freshman year of college at Texas Tech. She was a freshman Challenge leader at nine30 and a sophomore. God has used her so mightily in my life in the past 11 years. I am so blessed by her love and friendship. I had known Carrie through Challenge and I think she gave a ride to some Challenge event, but then how we began "bonding" is a funny story. I was at nine30 (in the service) and we turned around to greet people, and when she turned around to greet me I just started crying and said "I got a tattoo". I had gotten my tattoo the night before, and although I love it now, I was worried about certain repercussions at that point. After that, our friendship was sealed, and she was drawn into the drama of my life!:) Carrie is the type of friend that always tells me what God wants me to hear, NOT what I want to hear, and spurs me on in my walk with God and encourages me every time I talk to her, even though sometimes what she has to say is hard to hear, I'm always thankful for it. She is an amazing friend to everyone around her and has walked through a lot of things with me and stood by my side. This weekend was no exception. Although she had her own baby (5 month old Claire bug) who was having sleep issues, she watched my girls so I could take a few naps, swept my floors, prepared us 3 meals and froze them, loved on Mali, gave me spiritual advice, listened to me, gave me advice on parenting Mali, etc., etc.,!
She has been wonderful throughout my life and really has been a step ahead of me in most things in life; marriage, job, etc., Although I did have my first child before her and finished my master's before her. One thing I love about our friendship too, is that she just gets me and thinks similar to the way I think. We both had our undergrad in Family Studies and then went on to get our Master's in Counseling, so we are really on the same page and skip past lots of explanations. I just had to post about how much I love my friend and how much she has meant to me. This is a little muddled though, I've been up since 5:30am!! I wanted to post one of our first pictures together, Mission Trip 1999 where we forced Dan to take our picture in Hollywood in front of a stretch limo, but I think it is in the attic, so here is another picture of us on Mission Trip the next year and a picture of our girls. We were too sleep deprived to take a decent picture of ourselves!:) Although, Carrie did get one in the car on the way to the airport!:)


I am also super blessed by my other friends, Beth and Melissa! Who have also cleaned my house countless times, cooked for me, listened to me, loved on Mali, and even took care of me when I was throwing up!:) Yeah for friends that God gives!