Precious Moments

Wordless Wednesday!

2012-02-01T19:59:00.000-06:00

(Everyone that has sent me an email for the next Challenge is signed up IF I emailed you back. I am all caught up so if you have not received a personal response from me then I have not received your email so please send it again.)

Just some fun pictures for wordless Wednesday before Wednesday ends :)

The next 32 Day Challenge!

2012-01-31T21:34:00.000-06:00

Attention all Beauties....previous & new ones!!

Anyone up for a 32 day Challenge?!

I know that it is time for another Challenge but I am going to have to do mini-ones for right now due to the out of controlness (is that a word) of my life!! Knowing that we will most likely be moving in the next month scares me some to commit to another challenge BUT I know I can handle a mini one.

It will be 32 days and end the weekend before spring break. Great timing right?! It will be a fun way to re-connect, get back on track, and lose a few pounds along the way. I have learned a few things through this cleanse that I will encourage everyone to try the first week....they will really help you to feel better and get your system working a little better.

So here is the info if you are up for a mini-Challenge:

Dates: Wednesday, Feb 8- Saturday, March 10.

Sign-ups start NOW and end Friday, Feb 3. Just email me at: tctummy@yahoo.com to sign up. Just put "challenge" in the subject and I will get you signed up. I WILL respond to your email so that you know I got it. If I don't respond within 48 hours then send it to me again! I will probably just respond with "got it" but at least you will know that you are signed up.

If you are new, the Challenge is just a healthy way to live. Exercising, eating right, and trying our best to grow as a person on the inside too. We just do these things with a group of other ladies in our same boat!

I think that's it. I will give the group more info the weekend before we start! I am looking forward to being healthy with you girls again! So email me soon!

Ok, back to my crazy life! These pictures are of the girls from earlier tonight. We had a house meeting (at our current house) and the girls were so good. They had fun entertaining themselves :) I am sure this will be a first of many as we start the journey to build our home....

Philippians 1:6

2012-01-30T12:39:00.000-06:00

It's Monday morning again. Cleaning, laundry, groceries, all that good stuff. I cleaned/organized for an hour and I love the feeling of starting off a new week with everything in order. As we all know, the "order" can get crazy fast but it is still nice to start out organized and ready to tackle another week.

My verse that I am holding close to this week is this:

Philippians 1:6

Be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

This is a great verse for me right now because confidence (in many situations around me) is what I need. I needed to read that verse, knowing that if God started something good then He WILL finish it!!! It doesn't always seem like it when you are in the middle of it, but He does promise that He will be with us through the storm and that He will carry out His plan in and through us.

Super encouraging verse and I just wanted to share.

I had lots of random pictures from last week that I wanted to post....have a great Monday and let's get this week started off right! Be confident in God and what HE can do in your life and the situation around you! He will do a much better job than we can!

Church play-date at the fire department. The firemen are getting lots of lovin!

Cerly's new favorite thing. Empy any and every drawer around!

B & C

2012-01-29T14:59:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it is fun to look back at Brylee when she was Cerly's age :)

They grow way too fast....

I thought these pictures were cute too...it was much easier to hold C upside down than B!

Happy Sunday everyone!

The ABC's....staying home with little ones!

2012-01-28T07:55:00.000-06:00

Tonight I was thinking about our days and all the things that go into a 12 hour day as a stay home Mommy. I thought it would be fun to write some of them out. Here we go....

A- Animal crackers

B- Baths...usually two in one day

C- Cleaning the highchair 3 times a day

D- Dora and Diego

E- erasing colors & marker off the white walls

F- Folding laundry while the girls unfold it!

G- Going to God constantly in prayer so I don't lose my mind at times!

H- Happy hour at Sonic...even if it's not really happy hour.

I- Ice cream cones at Chick-Fil-A

J- Jigsaw puzzles

K- kisses. lot and lots of face kisses.

L- Lots of lovin'

M- Music and dancing

N- Non-stop talking from a 3 year old...and trying to answer the "why" question for the 100th time in a day :) That takes skill people!!

O- Opening juice boxes and lunchables

P- Potty time

Q- Quiet hour AKA what used to be nap time!

R- Re-arranging play dates because someone is always sick! It is near impossible to have a play date and everyone show up!!

S- Sharing...or at least learning to share

T- Tears. You never go through one day without someone crying. Ever!

U- Unable to shower or potty alone...without at least one child on your hip or leg.

V- Vodka. No, I am just kidding. I promise. I am just too tired to think of a V word and that was the only thing that came to my head. Lol.

W- Washing and filling up sippy cups all day long.

X- Xanax. Now I am not kidding about this one! Surely I am not the only one who has panic attacks, anxiety, or anything else in this category. Sometimes even Momma needs a chill pill!

Y- yawning after a sleepless night

Z- Zippers, buttons, Velcro & shoe laces!

There you have it! Just a small glimpse of some things that go into our days around here :)

I took these last pictures (and decorated them) for the girls bedrooms. I NEVER want to forget these fun & crazy days with these two precious little girls!!!!!!

Steady my heart

2012-01-26T23:30:00.000-06:00

A few days ago I ordered the new Kari Jobe CD and it came in the mail today. I love her and I love her music. The CD couldn't have come on a better day. This has been a stressful week and this morning I woke up ready to fight hard and see the good in every situation. By afternoon I was growing weary. Cerly is teething so she was a fussy mess all day, Brylee was up a lot with asthma so she was having breakdown after breakdown, and I just needed calm in the "storm" ya know. We all have storms, some big and some small, but we can all relate to storms of life.

Through all the chaos I saw the new CD sitting on the counter and immediately popped it in to play it. The very first song was called "Steady my heart." I knew it was going to be a good one just from the title and I was so right. I bet I listened to the chorus 20 times...

Even when it hurts, even when it's hard...

Even when it all just falls apart, I will run to you.

Cause I know that you are lover of my soul, healer of my scars...

you steady my heart, you steady my heart.

I find these words to be so true in my heart and life on a daily basis. Through all the chaos, exhaustion, confusion, and everything else there is only one thing that can steady my heart and that is the Lord. Nothing else can or will do it for me. I can try to run to every other thing or option that I can find but they are often temporary fixes to a much deeper issue.

I love how God works and I love that in the midst of my own chaos today He was able to remind me and teach me again that I need to run to Him alone and He will steady my heart.

I love the life that God has blessed me with....even when we are all a fussy mess!

And I would rock my fussy-teething baby all day long if I could.....

Let God steady your heart today...and stop running anywhere and everywhere else. He won't let you down.

Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

Decisions, decisions...

2012-01-25T21:39:00.000-06:00

We have lots of decisions to make right now in life. And I tell you what...making decisions is hard!! I am good at making decisions when there is a right or wrong. When it is black and white end of story. I am not saying that I always make the best decision but those kinds of decisions seem so much easier to me.

Decisions are much harder (for me) when you could do either choice and it would be ok no matter what you chose. I am not good at decisions like that for some reason.

Agh I am rambling...I seriously cannot formulate a complete sentence right now because my brain is overwhelmed. I think I am tired of thinking or something. Ever get that way?!

Back to decisions....

Good news is that we just found out that we don't have to take a huge loss on our first build job that went under. Yes, we lost almost a year of time but we found out that we are getting our money back which is great news. And that is fair ya know.

Other good news is that we own our new lot, our new house designs are done, and the new builder is about to get started. We are super excited about this for sure. They are saying 6-7 months from today....so maybe by the end of summer it will be done. Crossing our fingers. We are very ready to be settled.

Now for the not so good news....

It looks like we have to move again next month....to a second rental house. Just the thought of that is enough to send me into a panic. Life around here has been CRAZY since we moved into this rental the first week of December. We had both of the girls parties, Christmas stuff, and my head has finally stopped spinning from all of it. I have seriously been hanging on tight and praying that life would go back to normal soon.

Well this week is has and I was excited to have some down time....plus all of you Beauties are begging for another Challenge and I know I need to give you one!!!! (and I am still working on that.)

But, as soon as things settled down we found out that it may be time to pack boxes again. We are trying to decide on all the details but it is looking like there will be no down time around here any time soon. Please hear me...I am not trying to complain. I know that life could be so much worse, I do, but moving 3 times in one year is a lot...especially when you have little kids. Half of our stuff is in storage, another portion in boxes and so many things are no where to be found. It is just crazy.

However, this is where we are at so we are just trying to roll with it. Brandon and I just had a heart to heart here at the kitchen table. I told him if we could make it through all this stress then we would be good to go. Because stressful is the best word to use in the situation we are in.

So for now, we are off to make some decisions and try to find another place to live. I will keep you posted on that one.

I realize that many of you reading could care less about all this but this is our life right now and I blog our life...

Now for some pictures. Brylee is loving dress-up these days. She received so many fun dress-up clothes for her birthday and we pretty much use them every day!

She told me yesterday that she was a Mommy to Dora. Sweet.

And little C....well, she is growing so fast. 13 months tomorrow. She will take a few steps here and there but not much walking. I am super surprised because Brylee was walking everywhere at this age. Someone told me yesterday that I needed to put her down more and she would walk :) She will walk when she is ready...

She loves these little toy shakers. One of my dear friends gave these away at her wedding and I have always saved them. Cerly loves them!!!! (remember these Lauren?!) Anyway, us Horton girls will keep on trucking and having fun...no matter how crazy life gets. Night!

Dear Brylee...

2012-01-24T19:25:00.000-06:00

Dear Brylee,

I love you so much.

Every day you tell me so many things. You tell me what you are thinking, you tell me what sissy needs to do, you tell me what I need to do, the list goes on and on. You are just like I was when I was little. (and big probably!) You like to know how everyone is doing and you are constantly thinking of everyone else around you. I don't think you ever stop talking....or thinking...until your eyes close at night. You don't take naps at all so you are going strong for 12-14 hours....and you rarely slow down. Let's just say you keep me busy!

A few days ago we were out shopping together, just the two of us, and you said....

"Mommy, you need to have another baby girl and name her Elli."

I just started laughing. Where in the world did that come from? You even came up with a name for her! I laughed for forever and then put your sentence on facebook. 21 people "liked" the comment....I wonder if that means they agree?!

All this to say....you are precious and I love your "out of the blue" demands. Just between us...I think it would be pretty neat if I could have another little girl :) I will see what I can do! (not now, but maybe one day :)

I love your ideas and I LOVE YOU!

Always & forever, Mommy

I loved these pictures of you and your daddy from Sunday after church. I don't think he would mind having another little girl either!

Retreat overnight planning!

2012-01-23T19:30:00.000-06:00

This last weekend we had an overnight women's retreat planning meeting. In the past we have done several short meetings but this year I thought it would be fun to spend the whole day/night together and dedicate our time to the retreat. It was such a great idea because we were not interrupted and we were able to sit back, relax and really hear each others hearts about the vision for the spring retreat.

I love these women and I am looking forward to the season of planning that we are headed into. I can already see all the ways that God has prepared my heart for this retreat and I know that He has big things ahead for the women that will be there!

7 days

2012-01-22T21:21:00.000-06:00

What a difference 7 days makes. Several of you have asked about the Advocare challenge/cleanse and how it was going so I thought I would update. So much has changed in 7 days since starting it. The first day or two was hard because your body goes through withdrawals if you are used to soda, sugar, lots of carbs. I had really let my guard down with the coke over the last 2 months and so my body freaked out when I didn't have any on day one! I felt it bad for sure....

But, by day 3 I was feeling awesome!!!! Tons of energy, no headaches and was down 6 pounds by day 4. Over the last year I had struggled with headaches daily...every morning and every night. I was taking a lot of medicine to get rid of them and then medicine to sleep because of the pain. It was awful. Over the last 7 days I have not taken any medicine for a headache or sleep. NONE. I have only had one headache on day 2 and I have slept like a baby....fell asleep almost immediately.

I have been amazed at how different the last 7 days have been. I feel wonderful (physically) for the first time since Cerly was born...I am not even kidding and I am so happy that I decided to do the cleanse. I think everyone has different reasons for doing a cleanse and mine was definitely to get all the junk out of my system and see if it would help my pain/stress level....and it did no doubt!

We have 3 more days of the intense cleanse and then we can add a few more things to our diet. I am excited about that because I am getting tired of chicken and salad every day...no matter how good it is!

I am sure the rest of the cleanse will be just as great.

We had lots of family time this weekend and had a blast together!! We even managed to get a family picture on the stairs, since that was the only place that Brylee wanted to do it!

Cerly either loves or hates tight hugs and kisses.....and even though she is not liking this hug I thought it was such a cute picture :)

Brylee was so tired after a long day that she fell asleep just like this....and this never happens. I would say it was a fun weekend!

Ready, set, GO!

2012-01-22T09:49:00.000-06:00

Racing is our new favorite thing around here. I push Cerly and Brylee is on her 4-wheeler.....it is a blast!

It looks something like this...very good times :) We could do it for an hour!

A new creation....

2012-01-20T21:58:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 5:17

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

I truly believe, with all my heart, that when we choose to live for God we are a new creation. Everything in our past is forgiven, we have a clean slate, and we are a new creation.

This last week I heard from 3 former students. They are all in college now. I still see them as 12 year olds because that is when I fell in love with them....but they are older now and growing up. There were times when I was teaching where I found myself so frustrated. I wanted each child to know how much I loved them and sometimes I wondered if they really, really knew. I would walk into that classroom every single day ready to love them like God loves them.....no matter if/how they loved me back.

It was neat this week to hear from a few of them because God showed me that when we plant seeds....there will be beautiful fruit. One thing I have had to learn is that I may not see the "fruit" for years....but that is ok. Back then I wanted to see fruit in those special moments, and sometimes I did, but not always.

This week I saw fruit from a seed that was planted 7 years ago and then fruit that was planted 5 years ago. And all I could do was cry very, very happy and grateful tears. To hear a student tell me that he loves God now because I loved him makes life all matter in a much more meaningful way. Yes, I wanted him to love God 5 years ago, but he loves him today....and it was worth the wait because his eternity is forever changed.

I have been so encouraged this week to be reminded that God will be faithful if we just plant the seed. Sometimes our ONLY part in someones life is to plant the seed....but planting the seed can change someones life forever.

As I watched Brylee paint a few days ago I thought about how neat it is when we give God the paintbrush and allow Him to do all the painting. It is neat when we can surrender areas of our life to Him and just follow Him in the way that He leads us....even if it is scary....

God can paint a much more beautiful picture when we choose Him daily and give the paintbrush to Him. I am at a place where I am trying so hard to just trust Him with everything. It is much easier to start "painting" each morning and doing what I think is best....but I am trying to stop doing that.

I want to be completely guided by Him and I want to continue planting seeds....even if I don't see fruit for years to come....or even while I am on this earth.

When we choose Christ we are a new creation.....it is that simple.

I encourage you to allow Him to hold the paintbrush.....and just get ready for ALL that He will do! He will amaze you.....

Putting love into motion!

2012-01-19T22:11:00.000-06:00

I know I have mentioned that our church is on a "Love in motion" mission. I have already been amazed at all of the random acts of kindness that I have heard about over the last week. It is so neat to see how God can use children and cookies and small kind things to bring so much joy to the faces of strangers.

I went with Ross and Audra tonight to put love into motion and it was amazing. We went to the fire department near our home. We brought a popcorn bucket with popcorn, candy and the movie Courageous to the fireman. It was neat because they gave us a tour and we got to see their movie/media space where they can all sit and watch the movie! We thanked them for all their hard work and they were so kind and appreciative back.

Half way through the tour the alarms went off and we had to run out because they had an emergency. They were literally in the trucks and on the road in less than 45 seconds, if not faster. We watched them go from our cars...pretty cool. They truly risk their lives daily for strangers and it was so amazing to show them love back!

We also left a bucket on our brothers doorstep. He is police officer and we wanted to show him appreciate too! We have one more bucket and we can't wait to see where God leads us to take it.

Here is the love in motion website--go check out some other acts of kindness that have been done just in a week! The goal is 5,000!!! I know God will do great things as we show His love.

www.youvebeenloved.com

Thumb and taggie...

2012-01-19T11:06:00.000-06:00

I never want to forget Cerly Grace at this age. She is the sweetest thing ever with her taggie and her little thumb. Every time she gets tired she grabs her taggie and puts her thumb in her mouth....and that means it is time for me to carry her to her bed....and she goes right to sleep. I love sleepy time with her....she loves to cuddle. I caught a few pictures of these moments on camera and I am so glad I did....

Wordless (dress-up) Wednesday

2012-01-18T13:58:00.000-06:00

Safe

2012-01-17T21:35:00.000-06:00

I walked into Brylee's room this morning and she looked around and said..."my room is definitely a mess!"

It was so funny. I asked her when she started using the word definitely and she just laughed.

Lately she has been saying that she gets scared at night and so every night I tell her that Jesus will keep her safe and that is what we pray. This morning she ran into my room to wake me up and she said...

"I slept long in my own room last night because Jesus kept me safe!"

It was so sweet and she was so happy.

Grateful tonight for Jesus and grateful that He keeps us safe when we are scared. Because no matter how young we are or how old we are....we all still get scared at times. But Jesus will keep us safe if we ask Him to :)

They love each other....

2012-01-16T18:44:00.000-06:00

Some days I look at the girls and it is like time has flown by. I look at Cerly and it reminds me of when Brylee was that age and I just cannot believe that she is 3 now. This picture of both of them was taken last week when I had that feeling...before I know it, Cerly will be 3 and dancing around like her big sister....

Man, I want to remember these days. I swear I try to take in every second but some days I still feel like I can't get enough of them. And even on the hard days, there is no doubt in my mind that I will miss this stage more than anything when it's over.

Cerly's favorite thing right now is to let Brylee read to her...or at least show her the pictures in a book. Cerly doesn't sit still for much but she will sit still forever when they are doing this....

They are already best friends. Cerly will do whatever Brylee tells her to do or gives her to do.

I think they still favor each other so very much. I always wonder what a third little girl would look like...if we ever had another girl. I bet she would look just like these two...

Brylee tells Cerly..."you crack me up sister!" They both crack me up....

They are such a light in my world....I don't know what I would ever do without them. I just love them so much.

And they love each other too....even after forced kisses :)

24 Day Cleanse

2012-01-15T22:53:00.000-06:00

Monday morning I am starting the Advocare 24-Day cleanse with Ross and Audra. We are super excited! I have been WAY out of control with the soda/candy lately and it has to stop. (one-because it makes me feel awful at the end of the day. two-my teeth need a break...I don't ever want to have two root canals again)

We have heard lots of great things about this cleanse and I can't wait to feel as good as it is supposed to make you feel. Tonight the three of us went to Kroger and shopped for forever! Then we came home and had fun cutting fruits and making salads. We bagged it all up for one week so I would say that we are off to a good start. It is lots of healthy eating, vitamins and shakes. I love a new challenge, especially when I need a boost...in more ways than one.

I am ready for a fresh start with lots of things come Monday morning....I think it will be good for all of us! I will be sure to let you know how we feel and our results at the end of it.

Who knew cutting fruits and making salads could be so fun?!

Brandon decided he would sit this one out. One of these days I will get him to do a challenge with me....but not this time!

Hold on

2012-01-14T10:22:00.000-06:00

It has been a long 2 weeks. This morning I was doing a devotional and looking at some verses that really spoke to me. A lot is going on right now and I am trying to "hold on" tightly to God's truth and have faith that everything will work itself out. I was listening to a great song this morning called "Hold On" by Daniel Doss Band. Check it out on youtube if you are in a situation where you need to hold on right now. It is good.

Here are a few verses that I am holding onto right now...

John 10:10

"The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. I came that you may have life and have it abundantly."

Ephesians 4:32

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as Christ forgave you."

Romans 8:18

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Hebrews 11:1

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

God is faithful. He always has been and He always will be.

Happy weekend!

Happy birthday Ali!

2012-01-13T16:11:00.000-06:00

We had fun celebrating your birthday with you Ali! We love you!

A wild ride...

2012-01-12T11:34:00.000-06:00

I had to get 2 root canals on Tuesday. I was not a happy camper. It is so weird because my face has been hurting for the last weeks, along with bad headaches, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I went to the doctor and she ran some labs to make sure all the normal stuff was normal. And it was. But it was still bothering me that I didn't know what was wrong with me. So anyway, on Tuesday I went into Brandon's office to have him look at one of my back teeth that was bothering me. He ended up doing an x-ray on it and saw that I had an infection up in the root/tooth. And then he said I needed 2 root canals, 2 crowns and antibiotics. That was the last thing I wanted to hear.

But my Mimi said it best...."At least I had a great dentist working on me :)" And she was right. If I have to get something like that done I would much rather Brandon be the one doing it.

I know I have said this before, but I am not an easy dental patient. I get so anxious, I can't sit still, I do everything that makes the dentist job harder. I hate that I do that, and I try so hard to be better, but it is not easy for me. I brought headphones this time and I had a plan. (usually when you have a plan you are much more likely to succeed right?! No matter what you are trying to do.) So I had a plan. I was going to play my worship music as loud as I could and just pray. The whole entire time. My heart was so heavy for several people and several situations going on in my life so it was perfect.

I was there about 2 hours and I literally prayed the entire time the drill was on. It was awesome. He said I did very good (never heard that before) almost the whole time....at least until the last 5 minutes. I would say my plan worked and I really felt good when it was over. (emotionally)

I woke up Wednesday feeling like I had been hit by a train but the pain meds are handling that. I am just glad that the problem has been figured out and we are on our way to making it better.

One thing got me thinking while I was laying in the chair. Before we started I asked Brandon how long it was going to take and he said..."Well, it depends on how much you cooperate. If you cooperate then it will be a lot easier and go much quicker."

Makes sense right? Hearing that made me want to "cooperate" the best that I could.

Sometimes I think God is telling us that very same sentence. When we are going through rough times, struggles, and when we find ourselves in the pit I think we ask those same questions. How long is this going to take to feel better or be past this problem?

And I am confident that God is saying the same thing that Brandon said to me.

"Well, it depends on how much you cooperate. If you cooperate then it will be a lot easier and go much quicker."

God wants to help carry us through our rough times but so many times we make it so much harder than it has to be. We fight it, we run the other way, we try to control, we try to do things our own way....you know all those things we try to do to help. But God doesn't need our help. He just needs us to pray, and cooperate, and the journey will go much smoother.

Just something that made me think while I was under the drill!

The last 2 weeks have been a wild ride in the Horton house. It has been one thing after another. We are just trying to do our best. Right now my best is staying home, resting a lot, and just getting through the day.

Brylee has been taking Cerly on a wild ride of her own....I think they have a new favorite toy!

Wordless (close-up) Wednesday :)

2012-01-11T11:29:00.000-06:00

Love in motion!

2012-01-09T22:57:00.000-06:00

Before I start writing about what my heart wants to write about tonight, let me just tell you what I am feeling right now. This picture of Cerly is what I am feeling....

Do you ever wish that you could just cry like that?! Just cry really loud and not have to worry about who is watching. Yesterday I told a friend that I felt like I was suffocating and I am still right there. I tried to avoid sharing this, because transparency doesn't always sit well with everyone reading, but guys that is exactly where I am at right now. I am a feeler and when others are hurting then I hurt too. Right now there are people around me that are hurting and it affects me so deep. I have never been good at balance when it comes to this. It is so simple to me. If people I love are hurting, then I am going to hurt right there with them....

I think I used the word suffocating because the hits keep coming and I haven't had a chance to catch my breath. As I was worshiping Sunday morning at church I think there was about 10 minutes where I could breathe and then I was right back to suffocating.

For the last hour I have thought about why I get into these moments where I can't focus, I can't work, I can't write, I can't do anything and I am still struggling on an answer. I think part of it is that I love hard. There is no other way to say it. If I choose to love you then I am all in....ups and downs...I am all in.

And right now there are a lot of people that I love that are on the "down" and there is nothing I can do about it. I have no idea if this makes any sense at all but I just had to write before I busted....or cried really loud like you saw Cerly doing in the picture. I might do that next...I wouldn't put it past me.

So anyway, that is where I am at. I am loving hard and hurting all at the same time. Please tell me I am not the only who has been there?!

Speaking of love....our church started something this last week that I think is amazing. It is called Love in Motion. Basically our Pastor challenged us to love big and love hard over the next year. He challenged us to be extra kind, extra giving, extra selfless, and extra loving to everyone around us.

And even though I know that loving hard isn't always easy.....I am taking the challenge to step it up and LOVE BIG in 2012. I am taking the challenge to share God with people that don't know God. I am taking the challenge to love people who make it very hard to love them. I am taking the challenge because God is a good God and I want everyone around me to know about Him!

The love of God can transform lives. He died for each of us because He loved us so very much....no matter what!!!!

I can't wait to put LOVE IN MOTION!!

Keepsake bears

2012-01-09T09:50:00.000-06:00

When Brylee turned one my sister came up with the cutest first birthday gift that I will treasure forever. We had so many nicknames that we called Brylee so she created "the nickname bear!" She had all of Brylee's nicknames monogrammed on the bear for her room. It was adorable. When Cerly turned one I was so hoping that she would get one too! And she did!!! I think that is so thoughtful and I told my sister that I was so glad that they would both have one. I don't know what it is about our family but we come up with so many fun names for the girls and I absolutely love these bears--definitely a keepsake!

Here are both of their bears....names are all over their shirts and bottoms.

Gracie is one of Cerly's names that I call her. The other day Brylee said..."Mommy, can we just make her name Gracie?!" It was so funny. There is no telling what Cerly's name will be a year from now. All I call her now is Gracie and that is what Brylee wants to call her too haha. Thanks Audra for the super special bears-we love them.

We are off to enjoy this cold and rainy day. I will leave you with some pictures from last night. We pretty much paint toes and nails around here several times a week. I need to learn some tricks on how to get the polish to stay on longer--I won't be able to keep up when I have 2 little girls wanting their toes done :) It is one of Brylee's favorite things to do...

Mark it up!

2012-01-07T22:14:00.000-06:00

I cannot catch up. Every day I wake up and try to get as much done as I can so that I can get to bed early and maybe catch up on sleep...and my to-do list...and everything else. And every single day I feel more behind. I don't know what it was about the holidays this year but I got so behind on everything, including sleep. I don't know about you, but I feel terrible without sleep. Brandon can sleep 4-5 hours a night and be fine. He said he is a soldier. Well, I am NOT a soldier....I need sleep. So anyway, I am behind on everything right now and I am not sure what to do next.

The kids keep going though...even when you are tired! I am just thankful they are well and happy...that helps tremendously.

I am glad tomorrow is Sunday. I need a refreshing day ya know. Our Pastor has encouraged all of us to get a bible, or a new bible, and "mark it up" in the year 2011. He wants us to get a pen and highlighter and every time we hear a sermon, do a bible study, or anything like that then he wants us to take notes in our bible for the whole year. That way we can look back at the end of 2012 and see everything that God showed us. I think it is an awesome idea. I went out and got a new bible that is in a different version just to change things up. I can't wait to see it a year from now!

The first verse I marked up was in Proverbs. It said..."A lazy life is an empty life, but "early to rise" gets the job done!"

I love that. I am not a lazy person at all. I am going 110% almost all the time BUT there are times when I could be using my time more wisely. I want to focus on that this year and trying to get up and get going quicker with things that are healthy for me. I have been slacking in exercise, eating right, all that good stuff. I know, I know, the leader of The Challenge shouldn't slack. But I can't lie, I have been. So I am admitting it so that I can pick it up! And I can't wait to mark up my new bible and see what I can learn in the next year.

Off to bed....maybe I can catch up on sleep right now :)

3 doors down.

2012-01-06T15:44:00.000-06:00

The very best thing about the rental house we are living in is that it is just 3 doors down from our friends. 3 doors down from Brylee's best friend Anna Kate. Yesterday we were down there playing and doing nothing. I hear a little girl say "Brylee I love you!" I looked up and it was Anna Kate telling Brylee that she loved her and then they hugged. I love that they have each other and we are treasuring this time we get to live so close to them. There is nothing better than doing nothing with sweet friends....seriously. They are some of my most favorite moments.

Cerly and Rose even started to really play now!

I know that girl friendships are so complicated sometimes but I sure wish they didn't have to be. I sure wish they could be as easy as they were when we were little :)

Cute animals

2012-01-06T08:01:00.000-06:00

Two of the cutest animals I have ever seen :)

God's plan VS Our plan

2012-01-04T15:06:00.000-06:00

"Sometimes we don't get what we want because there is something else better waiting for us!"

Sometimes God's plan and my plan are not the same....and I am thankful for that. Over the last few years I have seen "my plan" become completely destroyed right before my eyes. During those times I would think that I knew best, and I would think that I was doing what I needed to do, but God would protect me by not allowing my plan to be carried out. And of course later I was thankful. Later I would see all the reasons why my plan was not the best plan. Has this ever happened to you?!

In the past (when my plan was destroyed) I would become very frustrated and stressed because I didn't understand. I didn't understand the why and because of that I had a hard time accepting the change. It has always been hard for me to accept change when I didn't understand why it was happening. But, through different circumstances I have learned to try and roll with it....because I am not in charge to begin with. I have learned to look at things differently. Instead of getting irritated or frustrated, I have learned to focus my thoughts on God and focus my prayers on asking God for wisdom on what to do next.

Sometimes I wonder if we (I) will ever stop learning haha. I already know the answer...it's no....but sometimes learning is tiring! However, learning helps us grow and learning builds our faith.

Over the last few weeks we have had a big change of plans. A big change of "our plans" I should say. Most of you know that we have moved into a rental house because our house sold and our new house is not ready yet. Well, 2 days after we sold our house and moved into the rental (that we would have for 3 months) we were told that our builders were stopping and they were not continuing to build our house. After 8 months of working with them they were just done due to company issues. All the time, money, and efforts were wasted. (at least that is what my brain thought) At first I was so stressed and frustrated because we were so ready to move in and be settled. I knew we had to be out of the rental in 3 months and I knew that we had a problem. But, at the same time I had peace.

I guess I had peace in knowing that there would be a better plan. We thought 110% that this was the best plan for us but I knew (from past experiences) that sometimes our plans are destroyed because God has a bigger and better plan. So I was patient. I tried to think that maybe we needed to live somewhere else because God was going to use us with the people in the new neighborhood in a great way. (I hope!) I told myself that schools matter and where your kids go to school can have a great impact on their friends and their lives. So maybe the girls needed to be in a different school. I tried to think about all the ways that God was trying to protect us, teach us, or use us....and I was patient.

Over the last few weeks we have looked at houses that were built and we have tried to seek wisdom on what would be best for us to do next. I have constantly prayed for wisdom because I don't know what else to pray.

Last week we found a new lot in a new neighborhood for us to build our new home on. We made an offer and it was accepted...and we both feel so good about it and already I am seeing why God's plan was better than our plan. We have a new foundation and I believe it is exactly where we need to be. When we discuss each issue about each neighborhood, every part of it aligns up to be better with the new lot. The only negative thing is time. Since we are starting over then it will take a lot more time. But, I would much rather be patient and do it God's way then try to force something because things got messed up.

So I guess I am writing this for 2 reasons.

1. We are starting over. And I need to send out new Christmas cards because our cards had our new address on them. But we won't be living at that address anymore. So I hope to do that soon.

2. God's plan is always better than our plan. No matter what. I have learned it over and over and I am still learning it. But God always proves to be faithful until the end no matter what the situation is. It would be much easier if we could just trust Him 110% from the beginning...but we are human, and imperfect, and we don't always do that. But regardless of what we do.....He is always faithful to carry us through. And we need to remember that it's ok if our plan is destroyed because God just might have something else up His sleeve!

So it's a new year, with new beginnings, and we have a fresh new start...in more ways than one! I can't wait to make the most of 2012!

Bachelor Mondays!

2012-01-03T16:49:00.000-06:00

Bachelor Monday's at the Horton house! Good times :)

Cerly Grace's FIRST birthday party!!

2012-01-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

Dear Cerly Grace,

You had the best birthday party and YOU had the best time! One day you are going to look back at all of these fun pictures and smile because I have been smiling the last hour just looking at them. You are so very loved by so many and nothing could make my heart happier....

The colors of your party were hot pink and turquoise....oh, and just so you know, you have a great Daddy for wearing a matching shirt for the party!

Here are a few of the faces that were at your party.....

I loved your birthday banner....

You had a few favorite parts but cake time was definitely one of them! You ate and ate....we had to take it away so you didn't get sick! I think you would have eated the whole piece you had....

These are my favorite "Cerly faces" you gave us....

You are such a joy to be around...oh how we love you....

I think everyone elses favorite part was the photo booth! I loved watching everyone dress up and act goofy in the booth!!! A few of us even got you dressed up!

You opened all of your presents at the end so not everyone was still there....but your friends brought you some amazing things! You are one lucky girl :)

Oh and I can't forget YOUR favorite part...the bounce house! You had a good time in it during the party.....but you had a BLAST in it after everyone left! You were a little small to do too much with the bigger kids so we let you have some alone time when everyone left.....

I love this picture of you and Brylee....

And then your party was over.....and we get start the second year of your life! We cannot wait Gracie!!! We love you!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T09:53:00.002-06:00

Sneak peek from the party!

2011-12-31T16:45:00.000-06:00

Cerly Grace's first birthday party was a success!!! I know she is only one but she had the BEST time! We took over 250 pictures so there are many more to come but here is a sneak peek of her party.....what a special day! Now it's time to get ready to celebrate New Years Eve...fun day :)

It's party day!

2011-12-31T08:02:00.000-06:00

This little girl woke up feeling good and ready to PARTY!!!! Happy party day Cerly Grace...it is time to celebrate YOU!!!! We love you!!

Ten things for Friday!

2011-12-30T14:51:00.000-06:00

TEN things for FRIDAY!!!!

1. Cerly Grace is really feeling lots better. She has had a very long week but things are looking good today. She had a check up this morning and the doctor said her lungs sounded great...those words were music to my ears.

2. We celebrate her first birthday tomorrow so the timing couldn't be better. Brylee and I have had a blast decorating today and setting up the candy bar! I think we have eaten about a third of the candy haha. Oh well, there is still lots left for the party.

3. Speaking of the party, I am going all out. Cerly will only turn ONE once and I want it to be a day to remember. 2011 has been a beautiful year because of her and we are going to celebrate her!

4. I know some of you Beauties are feeling the need for another Challenge. It is coming...soon...I will post more details after I get through the weekend.

5. Cerly only weighed 19.12 at the doctor today. I thought she was well over 20 pounds but I guess not :)

6. Brylee asked me for coke yesterday morning. I said..."No, we don't have coke in the morning." She said..."But you always have coke when you wake up in the morning." Ouch. What could I say to that?! Even if it's a sip...I always have coke in the morning. I am thinking that needs to stop. Brylee is turning into my little accountability!

7. A year ago my friend Courtney gave me a journal that I love. Every page has a scripture on it with MY name in each scripture. It is amazing. I gave several of those away this year...they are such a special gift. I wanted to share the website just in case you wanted to check them out. Perfect gift ideas and they ship pretty fast.

Papersunday.com

8. This is random but lately I have been thinking about babies cord blood...and how you can save it for the future. We saved both of our girls cords and I know we will never regret that. I am hearing more and more stories about how cord blood is saving childrens lives. I am hearing how families are getting pregnant just so they can get the infants cord to save one of their other childrens lives. Just something to think about. I pray that we never have to use our girls cords on them but I feel peace knowing that we have them just in case. It is a good investment. We use Cord Blood Registry and have been very pleased. Random..I know...but if you are having a baby soon I think it is something to consider.

9. I saw this pool alarm on Supernanny. It basically sets off a loud alarm if anyone falls into the pool, it was awesome. I am thinking about getting one. If anyone is reading this (and maybe has one) will you shoot me an email about it. Just curious if they are a good thing and if so what kind. We have the pool door blocked for now but I am wanting something for outside too.

10. Smile today....God loves you.

Birthday cookies.

2011-12-28T16:35:00.000-06:00

It has been a rough 24 hours. Cerly spent her birthday at the doctor...poor thing. Our day did not go as planned but we were just thankful we got to be together and she got some medicine. While we were at the doctor, my mom and Brylee baked birthday cookies. When we got home they had the cookies decorated with a candle in one for Cerly. It was so sweet and it made me smile since all our birthday plans were not going to happen. I was thankful for their thoughtfulness :)

The cookie even brought out a few smiles from Cerly...

And she loved eating the cookie....I can't wait to see her eat her birthday cake this weekend! I am just praying that she feels better for her party :)

We spent Monday visiting with Brandon's dad, his wife Edna, and Brandon's brother Dustin. We had a fun time spending our last Christmas get together with them :)

Ok...back to holding my sweet baby. I will leave you with some of Brylee's funny faces. Have a good day!

Happy FIRST Birthday Cerly Grace!!!!

2011-12-27T07:46:00.000-06:00

Dear Cerly Grace,

Happy Birthday pretty girl. I absolutely cannot believe that you are one! I was holding you last night and while you were laying on my shoulder I thought about how you still feel like my little bitty baby. We have been attached since the day you were born. I never want to put you down Cerly because you are the best little snuggle buddy. When we are around family I have to constantly remind myself to share :) I don't mean to hog you...but if I am not thinking then I do. You have been a momma's girl from day one.....

I was looking back at pictures from the day you were born and I cried all over again. The day you were born I cried because I fell in love with you from the start...

You were tiny...and perfect....

You captivated me with your eyes and you continue to do that even now.....

We introduced you to our little family and you were a perfect fit....

And we were attached.....from the minute you were born.

The day you were born was a day that I will never forget. It was beautiful and my life changed forever....

The last year has been just as beautiful. Each day we have made memories that have brought so much joy to our lives. Your smile is contagious sweet girl and you have grown into a beautiful little baby girl....

You are about 20 pounds. You love to eat everything. You are a great sleep...I have never seen anything like it. 12 hour nights and 2 day time naps. You can walk around holding onto things...I give you about two weeks to be walking on your own. You have 7 tiny teeth. You love Brylee so much. Your favorite thing to do is dance...hands down. You shake your little booty and make us laugh all the time. You are awesome.

Oh, and you love to show us that you are ONE with your finger when we ask you how old you are!

Your life matters Cerly Grace. God has a big plan for you and I pray constantly that you will love Him with all your heart as you grow older. Your spirit is precious and you are a joy to be around.

Look how much you have grown over the last 12 months.....

I am so proud to be your Mommy.

Last night I prayed as I held you and all I said was....

"Thank you God for giving her to me. Thank you for blessing me in this amazing way."

And I meant every word. I could never thank God enough for your little life.

I love you with all of my heart Gracie. Happy Birthday.

Hugs and kisses, Mommy

Christmas stops!

2011-12-26T12:01:00.000-06:00

This is a big picture post from all the stops we made over the last few days! My family loves pictures....I wonder where I get it from?! I took over 100 but here were some of our favorites!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

We had the fun idea to do matching pajama pants on Christmas Eve. The guys were not so into it but they did it for us girls!!

They wouldn't pose for a picture so I had to get one of them messing around out back! Don't they look cute?! I think it needs to be our new Christmas Eve tradition!

My mom had these shirts made for us. They have our tattoo verses on them...so sweet.

Acting goofy....

Brylee absolutely loved Christmas...and loved posing for pictures.

Cerly Grace was more into playing with the paper and eating....maybe next year :)

We had a great Christmas Eve church service as well. The message was about hope....it couldn't have been more perfect.

Then we headed to Brandon's families house on Christmas Day....

The girls got to be loved on all over again...what a great day!

Christmas morning 2011

2011-12-25T12:55:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful Christmas morning it is at the Horton house!

We definitely had two excited little girls this morning....

Last night we stayed up late getting all the "santa" presents ready. There were lots of things to put together for Daddy. Brandon was very into the Santa thing and getting it all set up...I loved it!

Here is Brylee's area....I did the baby doll theme with her so that she would have all kinds of places to put her babies!

And here are some of Cerly Grace's things from us and my parents!

Brylee left cookies for Santa....and was so excited to see the crumbs on the plate today!

She was up at 7:15 ready to roll.....

So far her favorite present is her scooter. She has been driving it around the house all day long!

I hope everyone has a very special day!

Be lifted high

2011-12-23T22:23:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is ready for Christmas because it is just about here! I did most all my shopping months/weeks ago so I have been able to avoid many of the crowds. Brandon waited until today and let's just say he spent hours in the car...trying to park..in traffic. I guess he wasn't the only one that waited.

Throughout the rush and hustle of the week I have been listening to one song...over, and over and over again. It is called "Be lifted high" by Michael W. Smith. It is so good and it has been good for me to continuously put it into my head as I go about my busy days. If we are not careful we can get so caught up in the wrong things at Christmas. I went to the mall one time this week and I felt like everyone around me was angry...and rude...and selfish. I tried to be kind back but it just made me so sad that so many get lost in the gifts and forget about the real reason that we have Christmas.

We have Christmas because of Christ. Because Christ was born and changed our world forever. If you are anything like me then I bet you can't imagine your life without God. I can't. I can't imagine one day without Him in my life and in my family. I know I couldn't find the joy and peace that I have only because of Him. And that is why we have Christmas.

I love this song because it talks about how God should be lifted high in our lives all the time. When good things happen we should give God the credit and we should lift Him up because that is why we are here on earth. It talks about how He brought us from darkness to light and because of that we should lift Him high WITH OUR LIVES. Every single thing we do, say, and think should bring glory to God. We are not perfect, and we never will be, but we can try every day to show Gods love. There is nothing more rewarding than showing and sharing Gods love with someone else that has never known that kind of love. I have recently been able to do this and it has changed me.

As we walk into these next few days, I want to encourage all of us to use our lives in a way that God would be lifted high. What we do matters. How we treat others matters. It really does :)

Sissy Grace had her first ponytail today. It was tiny but it was there!

She is all about telling us how old she is. She will point that one finger up when you ask her...even though we have 4 more days until it is official.

Daddy was home with us today and Brylee loved snuggling on him. She loves when he is not working...

Two of my best friends came over today...Brittany and Laura. We have 6 kids between us but we only had 3 of them today! We had a fun time catching up...I love these girls.

And the kids love each other too.

Merry Christmas to everyone! Have a wonderful next few days :)

Pictures

2011-12-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

Just some pictures. Hopefully more later. Lots going on!! Ready for Christmas!!

Our meaningful tree ornaments

2011-12-21T14:21:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas week! I know we are loving it. Cerly will be ONE in 6 days....and I am starting to see a little attitude! Look at this picture haha.

She is my little Christmas baby and oh how I love her.

Brylee is all about Christmas this year....well, except for Santa. Other than him she is having a blast with everything else that goes along with Christmas. I am so excited about Christmas morning...she is going to love it!

My favorite thing about our tree is our meaningful ornaments. For last 10 years or so Brandon and I have picked out special ornaments for each other. We pick them based on the year we have had, things that have happened, or anything that makes that year memorable. Now that the girls are here we get them each one as well. So...every ornament on our tree has a meaning from a certain year and it is so neat now because we have so many.

Here are a just a few that I found myself either smiling at or tearing up at when I thought about why they are on the tree....

Brylee's one year ornament. Little shoes because it was her first Christmas to walk...

Brittany's memory ornament that I gave to Brandon on our first Christmas without her here on Earth....

A teacher ornament....The six years I taught were some of the best years of my life. I still think about and love those kids. This year I got Christmas cards from some that are married! I am getting old :)

Brandon got me this one last year. The mama bear is pregnant so it represents last year when I was 9 months pregnant with sweet Cerly. I love this one! And oh how I do remember being super pregnant last year on Christmas morning...

I got Brandon this xBox ornament the year that he played xBox 40 hours a week. Not a great year in the marriage (for obvious reasons haha) but I just laughed when I saw it because it brought back so many memories!

A dental ornament I got for B...

My first womens group ever ornament. I had no idea how God would use that first group to change my life!!

Our first ornament together. It is a best friends ornament. So glad we are still best friends after all these years :)

Fun fun week!!!

Can't wait for Christmas and Cerly Grace's first birthday!!!

Wordless "sleepy" Wednesday

2011-12-21T08:18:00.000-06:00

The four of us

2011-12-19T22:58:00.000-06:00

A few days ago Brylee was telling Cerly and me that Jesus lives in our hearts and in Heaven. Actually she tells everyone this! Anyway, I told her that Jesus can live in lots of hearts and her exact words were...

"No Mommy. Jesus only lives in your heart, my heart, Daddy's heart and Cerly Grace's heart. Thats it. Just our 4 hearts."

I just said ok...for now :) She's barely 3 so I think it's pretty cool that she at least knows that much.
But I am grateful that He can live in all of our hearts if we let Him :)

Hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas Week!!

The 4 of us....

This is how they roll!

2011-12-18T21:13:00.000-06:00

Blessed weekend!

2011-12-17T20:50:00.000-06:00

Brandon and I are sitting here watching the Cowboys game....both on our laptops. When he saw the picture above he said..."don't you feel so lucky to have two little girls?!"

Yes! I do! Every single day.

This has been a very blessed weekend and I have been constantly reminded of Gods goodness.

Mark 10:16

"And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them."

I love that God is in total control of our lives. I can't imagine what my life would look like if I was in charge...I am sure I would constantly mess it up.

We had two birthday parties today and the girls sure had a fun time! The first one was for my little cousin Cody...she had a bowling party.

Happy birthday Cody!

We came home so little sister could nap and then I took Brylee to Ben's party!

Around 7:15 Brylee crawled up on the couch and went to sleep. She has never done this. She was one tired little girl.

Oh, and I can't forget last night. Last night our pastor Paul and his wife Shannon came over to eat. We always have a nice time with them. God has used them numerous times to bless us and our marriage and it was wonderful to have them over. Very special friends :)

Ok back to the Cowboy game. Looks like we might just win it tonight! Then off to church tomorrow...I heart Sundays!

Shopping, skinny jeans & dental party!

2011-12-16T22:57:00.001-06:00

What a week it has been with Brylee and the things she says. I swear that I laugh constantly. Sometimes it is so hard to discipline because I can't keep a straight face. I had to share a few things she has said...

Today she was taking a shower and she was soaping up both of her legs. I said "B, what are doing?"

She said..."I am washing my legs. I am not shaving. I can't shave until I get 4!"

It was so funny because she just comes up with this stuff on her own.

Cerly even laughs at her haha....check out Cerly in her car seat. She is so chill!

Brylee and I were at Kroger this week and I told her that she could get all the groceries in her cart. About half way through she said....

"Mommy, I am so good at shopping!"

And let me share one more because one day I want to look back at this and laugh. I was getting her dressed for school in regular jeans. She says...

"I really need to wear my skinny jeans today!" Haha...she only has one pair of skinny jeans and they were dirty. So she couldn't wear them. But it was so funny that she knew they were called that!

You are one funny little girl Brylee June!

Tuesday night Brandon's office had their staff Christmas party. We all had a great time eating and hanging out! We are so grateful to have all of them at the practice and in our lives!

They gave us this gift basket and it was so thoughtful. They included a gift card to stay at the Gaylord hotel and resort....what a great gift. I can't wait for that! Only one week until Christmas weekend....yay!!!

Shortcuts

2011-12-15T20:43:00.000-06:00

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial and temptation, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those that love Him.

Definition of shortcut: A means of saving time or effort.

On Monday I chose to take a shortcut and it ended up being the worst choice I could have made in that moment. Nothing tragic or anything but by choosing the shortcut I had a lot of extra time to think.

It was 1:40 in the afternoon and I was headed to get Brylee from school. I was coming from the mall so I knew I needed about 15 minutes. I was on a good road and had plenty of time to get there but for some reason I thought that taking another street would get me there faster. So I turned...

As I drove down the street I noticed a lot of police officers down by a church ahead of me. As I pulled up I realized that there was a funeral that was letting out and they were all headed to the burial. In that moment I had such a mix of emotions. I was thinking (because I am human) "you have got to be kidding me...there are like 100 cars in that line."

That was my first thought because I knew that I was going to be very late getting Brylee. There was no way to go around, that is rude. I couldnt' turn because there was not any streets around that I could turn on. As I looked at the clock I freaked out. I was so mad at myself for trying to take a shortcut because I would have been just fine on the road that I was on.

Once I realized I was stuck, and not going anywhere, my heart began to feel for the cars in the line. They were leaving a funeral, and had just lost someone they loved, and there I was freaking out because I was going to be very late. So then (because I am human) I felt terrible for being so selfish. No, it's not ideal to be that late getting Brylee....and I knew she would be scared....and I knew that the teachers would be frustrated...BUT it was not the end of the world ya know. So once I realized I wasn't going anywhere I decided to direct my thoughts to a better place and pray for the families in those cars....because I know how it feels to be in those cars and it is not a good feeling.

After I prayed I started thinking about shortcuts and how sometimes they are not so short. Ya know what I mean? Sometimes we try to take a shortcut and it works....but other times it only leads down a much more difficult path of life.

While I was thinking all of this I remembered the times in my life when I tried to take a shortcut in the area of healing. Through life we all go through rough stuff. Everyones "stuff" is different but we all have stuff. Years ago it seemed easier to just patch up the wounds from my "stuff" and move on. I didn't see the importance of going through each step to heal in a healthy way. But like many of us all know....if you just patch it up then it is still under there. I think that many of us patch up our hearts and lives often because we think we don't have the time or effort to heal it properly. We don't want to do the hard work that it takes to forgive or deal with our emotions. However, I have learned over the last two years that it is worth all the time in the world to heal correctly. Every step of the journey will be a blessing once God allows all the pieces of your life to fit back together in a much better way. It will be hard but we become stronger as we take each step.

There will be days when we feel like quitting and days where we might want to run for a bandage and a quick fix....but if we stick it out then true healing can take place.

Does this make any sense at all?!

Sometimes shortcuts work. And sometimes they don't. I believe they will never work when it comes to healing. God desires to teach us many things and He will use our journey of healing to teach us countless things if we allow ourselves to do the hard work. Yes, we can choose to take a turn and hope that it will make our road go by quicker but just remember that it might take you ten times longer to get there if you do. Just like it did with me on Monday. I didn't get to Brylee's school until 2:20. 20 minutes late...and she was not a happy little girl.

I don't know what you might be going through today but don't take a shortcut to get through it. Take the time and give the effort...and you will be glad you did.

Check out this last picture of CG. I have no idea what this face was about but it was making me laugh!

Cerly Grace's FIRST Christmas!

2011-12-15T07:02:00.002-06:00

This will be Cerly's first Christmas. I have looked everywhere for "my first Christmas" outfits that are in size 12-18 months but I never found anything. I guess since she was born 2 days after Christmas then it makes it harder to find them. We put her on Santa's lap but I definitely didn't get a sweet little picture like I did for Brylee's first Christmas. (she slept because she was only 4 weeks old!)

This is what happened once we put her on his lap.....

Poor thing. We didn't make her sit there long, I promise.

Big sister was still very upset to see Santa. I thought she might like him this year but not a chance. Maybe next year!

Wordless Wednesday night!

2011-12-14T22:09:00.001-06:00

Getting in the Christmas spirit....

2011-12-13T14:32:00.000-06:00

This week I am focusing on getting in the Christmas spirit.

Yesterday I took Cerly Grace to lunch while Brylee was at school. This is one of my favorite things to do. I love that it is just the two of us and we always have a good time. When Brylee was that age we did it a lot too. Anyway, as we were sitting there and I was trying to think of a fun giving idea for this Christmas season. I always love doing Christmas for other children and families and so we did that this year...but I also wanted to do something different & fun.

When I got my check for my lunch I had a strong urge to pray for the waiter. I knew right then what my fun, giving idea was going to be.

I call it "match it and pray!"

I decided that I was going to tip whatever the total bill was and bless the waiter. And then I was going to pray for them. You know, there are many times that we never have any idea what people are going through or what their needs are. Sometimes doing little things can be a way that we can show Gods love and brighten someones day.

So this is my "thing" this season...every time I go out to eat. I know God will use it to bless someone. What fun things do y'all do to give during the Christmas season?!

Monday night our women's group went to eat for the last group of the year. Always a good time-love you girls!

Today we spent all morning wrapping presents and putting up the tree! I have never done this alone but I decided to go ahead and try it. I knew Brylee would enjoy it and she definitely did!

She loved putting each ornament on...

Sister crawled around the whole time. I think the tree may be an issue this year....I just hope it doesn't get pulled down!

Brylee found the nativity set and had a great time setting it all up. She even knew where to put Baby Jesus :)

Have a great day! Go bless someone today!!!

Attitude & sugar cookies..

2011-12-12T17:01:00.000-06:00

This picture below makes me nervous. She turned 3 and now she knows everything!!!! She was sitting in her timeout chair (but she wasn't in trouble), talking on her phone, with this look on her face. Oh my....

Earlier that day she was still my sweet little 3 year old though. We baked cookies and decorated them all morning and had the best time. I will enjoy these girls being little every minute....my life is flying by right before my eyes.

So behind...

2011-12-11T21:01:00.000-06:00

Hey friends. I am so behind on blogging. Every night I am so tired that I can't seem to keep up. I am hoping that I can really write soon...or write something with more substance, but right now I am just taking it a minute at a time and trying to breathe. I never knew moving would be so crazy. I keep wondering if my brain will settle down soon...I sure hope so.

The weekend was amazing. Lots of awesome God moments that I hope to be able to share soon. But for now, I will keep it light-hearted and write about our dance party.

My youngest little princess LOVES to dance. We put on dancing music and this 11 month old baby goes crazy. She gets so happy, shakes her booty, and laughs so hard. It is so fun! We did lots of dance party this weekend with Audra and Ross...

....and lots of painting toes.

At one point Ross was blow-drying hands and Audra was painting. It was making me laugh...

Brandon was on his last hunting trip for the season so we spent lots of time with Audra and Ross. Always a good time! Here we are before church this morning...

I seriously just fell asleep while I was writing this. I think it's bedtime.

I pray I get "caught up" soon....in all areas of my life ha!

Brylee's 1st Christmas program...

2011-12-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

Brylee had her first Christmas program on Thursday night. They did 9 songs and I was so impressed with how well the kids in her class did!

I got a few pictures of Brylee singing and doing the motions...they were so cute. My favorite part was when pretended to rock baby Jesus :)

We had a fun time watching Brylee, she is such a big girl!

What was Sissy Grace doing?! Having the time of her life!

She is really coming alive as we get closer to her first birthday. She is not so quiet anymore!

Brylee and Ben were so cute!

They found baby Jesus in the manger and played Mary & Joseph for a few minutes...it was adorable.

I love Christmas time :)

2011 Christmas card pictures...

2011-12-08T22:57:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from The Horton's!

We did a "moving" card theme this year since this is our life right now. One thing I am being reminded of is that family and love has nothing to do with where you are living. It has everything to do with being with those you love...no matter where that is. This house is already filled with just as much love as the last one was :)

I love these two little things more than my life....

...and I love him for taking care of me and the girls :)

Colossians 3:14

"Above all, clothe yourself with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony."

Love most definitely makes my world go round.....I love all of them more each day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season....

Where is Jesus?!

2011-12-07T22:37:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I love to document things that Brylee says.

Last night I was tucking her into bed. We said our prayers and then I said...

"Jesus is going to keep you safe in her tonight and help you have sweet dreams."

She looked around and said...."Jesus isn't in my room."

I said..."Well, yes He is."

She looked around again and said...."No Mommy, I don't see Him so He's not."

It was so funny because she was really thinking about it. So then I asked her where Jesus was and she said...

"Jesus is in Heaven."

I couldn't argue with that :) Many more conversations to come about Jesus! I am sure of it.

I love my Brylee girl!

My favorite is when she copies me. She always carries her babies like I carry CG. And she will say..."I have Emma on my hip like you Mommy!" It is always something around here.

The rental house

2011-12-06T21:47:00.000-06:00

We are settling into the rental house. Brylee and I both agree that the best thing about this house is that her room is downstairs. She has her kitchen in it too. All three nights she has crawled right up into bed and went to sleep on her own. It has been so nice for everyone :)

Somebody is not so little anymore!

Cerly is all about her food right now. She is the opposite of Brylee and she will eat anything! Definitely not a picky eater like her sister.

The first night we were here I was paranoid because this house has a pool without a gate. I knew I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night so we ended up putting a big piece of furniture in front of the pool door. It is freezing outside so we don't need to go back there anyways. I literally woke up in the middle of a nightmare the first night we were here because I was so worried about the pool. But not anymore....all kids are locked in! The furniture doesn't look too awkward in front of the door does it?!

It has been a long 3 days. I am hoping things settle down soon. No mental energy to write about too much but this is life right now! Is it Friday yet?

Overwhelming weekend

2011-12-05T12:28:00.000-06:00

What an overwhelming weekend! Lots of highs and lows but definitely overwhelming in every way. But...we survived it and God was faithful to give us everything we needed to do that!

Friday we packed all day. There were 2 guys there helping and it still took us so long.

This is what Brylee did while we were packing....she stood on boxes to entertain herself.

Saturday morning was the women's breakfast/devotional and then everyone worked on a Pinterest craft. I was super impressed with all the things that the girls came up with. I have never been on Pinterest but I hear it is amazing!

Saturday afternoon we started cooking for the evening event. Our plan was to cook for 75 people that were staying in the Ronald McDonald house. Every December our women's ministry does something called Deeper Gives Back! Deeper is the name of our ministry and every December we "give back" in some way. Cooking was so much fun! I learned a lot haha...I am not a good cook!

Then it was time to serve. We had such a wonderful time talking to the families and loving on babies. We got to hold some of the tiny babies while their parents ate and it was such a blessing. We were not allowed to pray or talk about God so I just prayed silently as I held them or watched them go through the line. It was definitely a reality check being there. I can't imagine going through that with one of the girls and it broke my heart that so many families are doing that as we speak...at Christmas time. What a blessing it was to feed these families.

Sunday morning our church moved to its new campus and it was so awesome! We have been meeting in a school for 5 years and we finally have a "base" to meet at. Everyone was so pumped up and the service was so great and packed out. I can't wait to see what God does through our church this next year.

I thought about Brittany so much on Sunday. I was busy with moving but every time I stopped I would think of her. It was such a busy weekend but God continued to bring her to my mind constantly :)

As soon as church was out it was time to move. We moved all day long....14 hours. I went to bed at 2am and I was wiped out. Everything is in the house but now everything needs a place for 3 months. We will move again probably in March once the final house is ready. But for now we are renting for a few months. We are on such a fun street with lots of friends we already know so I know we are going to have a blast while we are here.

Here we are leaving our old house...don't look at the mess!

It was freezing cold and rained all day Sunday which made moving much more difficult but we got it done. We had 5 guys plus the two of us. The girls spent lots of time with the grandparents--we could never have done it with them. It would have taken a week. We are so blessed to have their help.

My friend Nicole let me use her wireless Internet thing so I can blog until we get Internet. Who hoo!!! What would I have ever done?!

Oh, and you remember my two little dogs? Looks like they will be needing a good home. They are small, indoor dogs so email me if you are interested! tctummy@yahoo.com

They are with Brandon's family right now but I think that will be temporary so let me know if you know anyone that can give them a good home.

Now it is time to unpack and settle in here...

2 years ago today...

2011-12-04T09:19:00.000-06:00

Psalm 33:22

"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."

Two years ago today we lost a precious person. Two years seems like such a long time but I can remember that night like it was yesterday. I remember walking out of my bedroom and seeing Brandon slowly slide down the wall to seated position and then drop his head after he was told that Brittany was gone. I will never forget it or forget the feeling I had inside. I had never had that feeling before. It was like a very long fight and journey was over...and we lost. It is just not something that you ever forget.

A few weeks ago I saw that Brandon's mom wrote on Brittany's page. It said..."You would be so in love with your nieces."

I cried for like an hour when I read it. Because she so would have. She never got to meet Cerly Grace and that just breaks my heart because Cerly is absolutely precious...and Brittany would have fell in love with her just like she did with Brylee. I don't know, sometimes it just hits me at the weirdest times. When I saw that facebook comment it hit me bad and I was so sad and angry that she wasn't still here. Because Brandon's mom was right....she would have been completely in love with the girls...and they would have loved her right back.

I get asked a lot about God and if it is harder to believe when something like this happens. I never know a "good" answer. Of course I still believe because God is God and He has changed my life. But no, I will never understand why Brittany had to die at such a young age. I will never ever understand that. It is hard but you just have to keep believing that there was a bigger reason and a bigger plan that only God knows.

All week I have received the kindest messages about Brittany and how you are praying for the Horton family this week. That means so much, you really have no idea.

December 4th will always be a day we will remember forever. We miss you Brittany Ann!

Love, us

Learning to give...

2011-12-03T14:40:00.000-06:00

All week I have been teaching Brylee how to give. We have been shopping a lot for other little children and I have been trying to teach her constantly. It is so hard for her to understand why she can't use the toys that we buy but each time she has done better and better. I think it is so important for kids to learn this at an early age.

A few days ago I took her to build a bear. We were supposed to go on her birthday but we were all sick. She got two gift cards from there so we were so excited to go. First, she did her own build a bear. And then we did one for another little girl. We had a great time doing both of them.

Deuteronomy 16:17

"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given to you."

Look at little sister trying to be so big :)

She chose a kitty and named her Kitty Kate. Fun time!

Let the moving begin!

2011-12-02T10:29:00.000-06:00

The moving has begun! What a weekend this will be!

Last night we went to the Hillsongs worship concert and it was exactly what I needed to survive the weekend. God is always faithful to fill us up right when we need it most! I took lots of pictures last night but my computer won't let me rotate them since they were on my phone-bummer. But we had a good time, it is always nice to escape life and just worship God!

One thing that I heard in a song last night that has really stuck with me was..."God, have your way IN me!" I loved singing that because it reminded me that I can't do anything without God. I truly desire for Him to have his way in and through me because I know it will be so much better with His power behind me. It is all about surrendering our lives to Him and allowing Him to speak to our hearts each day. Man, when I truly surrender He does so much more than I could have ever even dreamed of.

So that is where my mind is at right now and throughout this weekend. I want God to have HIS way IN me!

I also loved the verse they shared.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

God is faithful and He will never stop loving us :)

Ok, now I better get back to packing.

Here are some pictures I took yesterday BEFORE the drama at Old Navy haha. Cerly Grace wore one of Brylee's old shirts and it brought back memories....

Oh my goodness I love this kid! I think I could kiss those cheeks all day long.

Brylee had her 3 year appointment yesterday. 33 pounds and 38 inches tall. 75% in both areas. Healthy little girl! And every day she is growing up a little more. She doesn't let me kiss all over her cheeks as much :( But I still try to sneak some in there! Love you B!

On more thing. Several of you asked where to find the headband that I wear all the time haha. I actually got it in Canton but I did find the website. I figured since I was wearing it like 4 days a week then I needed a few more colors so you wouldn't have to look at the same one all the time. I am telling you, you can go an extra day (or two) without having to fix your hair if you have one!

Click HERE for the headband link! They are under accessories- vintage floral headbands

The looks...

2011-12-01T15:25:00.000-06:00

I was in line at Old Navy today and Brylee decided it would be a good time to throw a fit. I did like I always do. I got down on her level, talked to her, and continued trying to check out. Usually "the talk" helps and at least gets us to the car to finish the fit but not today. Today it made it worse. There were probably 10 people in line and ALL of them were staring at me like I was an idiot. Worst feeling ever. I know there are times (as moms) where we "think" everything is looking but really no one cares. But today I was sure...they were all looking and none of them gave a comforting look like "its ok, we have been there!"

By the time we walked out I was a mess. I knew I had to immediately go home because my shirt was soaked because I was sweating so bad. Brylee was still screaming bloody murder. And Cerly was just staring at both of us like we were crazy. Thank goodness she wasn't screaming too. We get half way to the car and Brylee realizes she had left her phone in the store. Really?! I told her we would buy a new one because the last thing I wanted to do was go back in and face those people in line. However, it is her favorite phone and I knew she wouldn't forgive me if we left it. So we went back in...

And I got the looks again. I guess none of them have ever had children or had to stand in line with a child throwing a fit. I promise now to always show grace to "that mom" from this day forward :) Seriously.

The whole reason we took her phone in was because we were getting out of the car and Brylee said...

"I need to take my phone mom in case someone texts me."

Word for word. How could I say no?! Long story short we found the phone. Or I guess I should say that an older lady found the phone and she found us. Praise Jesus there was one kind soul in the store.

We finally made it out the store again with Brylee still crying and saying..."I don't want to get a spankin."

And then I got another look....

One day at a time, right?! I was definitely not mom of the year today.

No pictures from today. I was too frustrated lol.

I do have a picture of our new asthma machine for Brylee. I found this fun little mask to try and make it more fun, she liked it.

One day at a time....

2011-11-30T10:52:00.000-06:00

One day at a time....that is what I keep telling myself. The next 5 days are going to be CRAZY...probably the next 10 days. Big women's event all day Saturday and moving on Sunday. And packing somewhere in between. We have a packing lady coming Friday and movers coming Sunday so that will help. I am usually very bad about looking at everything at once and becoming overwhelmed. I usually do that and then I get so anxious that I need a xanax. I am not even kidding.

But....this time I am going about it differently. I am just thinking about today. Of course we have a list/plan for each day from now until next week but I am not thinking about any day but today. And so far I have not become too anxious so I think it is working!

I know we will not have Internet at the rental house for a few days so I may not be able to blog...we will just have to see. If not, just know it is because we are moving but I will be back!

For now we are trying to relax as much as we can and still have fun nights! Last night Audra and Ross rocked it out over here after dinner....they had so much fun with the girls. Brylee was all about ring around the rosies....

...and then they all fell down!

Cerly Grace is one tough kid. Brylee is always finding new and creative ways to touch her. Sometimes I will just say "please don't touch her for 5 minutes!" Look what she came up with last night!

The fun continued with this....

Even though our lives are crazy we are not letting it stop us from having fun!

Oh and I can't forget Cerly singing to Chris Tomlin worship music. This little girl loves music so much. We will be listening to lots of worship music the next few weeks...it literally saves me from becoming anxious!

Being happy or having joy?!

2011-11-29T10:14:00.000-06:00

A few days ago I was talking to my sister about the difference between being happy and being filled with joy. I think there is a difference.

I think that anyone can be happy. I think that happiness comes and goes based on our circumstances. Our happiness can change quickly.

Having joy (to me) is more about having God. There have been times in my life when I wasn't happy because of the difficult circumstance I was in but I still had joy because I had God. Joy is more constant in me and it doesn't seem to be easily swayed like my happiness does.

I would rather have joy than be happy because I think that joy comes from God. This morning I was reading some verses on joy and I thought I would share.

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Be joyful always!

Proverbs 15:30

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones!

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I pray that you have JOY today because having joy is a great feeling!

He never lets go!

2011-11-28T10:17:00.000-06:00

I am pretty much in awe of God right now. I have always loved God and believed in God but right now I am in awe of Him. He is just so much bigger and better than I can ever even imagine and I love that He is making Himself so real to me right now in my life.

Yesterday morning we were singing at church. We were singing an older song that says..."Oh no, he never lets go, through the calm and through the storm..." Many of you probably know that one. Anyway, I was praying for a friend as we sang and I was praying that God would draw her close during the difficult time she was going through. As I was praying I remembered the last time I had sang this song and truly been affected by it. It was about two years ago when Brittany was very sick. I remember the doctors had told the family that there was not much more they could do and I felt so helpless inside. I remember being at church, right around that time, and singing those words that He would never let go...even through the biggest storms in our life. I clearly remembered how I felt, and all the emotions that were inside of me, and I was taken back to that place very quickly yesterday as we sang.

It is crazy how God can comfort even during the worst times in a persons life. Someone recently asked me how I can believe in a God when there is so much bad in the world. I answered her but later I thought to myself...."how could I not believe in God when I am going through the storms of life." I just cannot imagine how I would get through one day, much less my whole life.

People fail us. People we love fail us. This world is hard at times and we will be disappointed. But this weekend I was reminded that God is a constant in my life. He always loves me, He never leaves me, and He never lets go....and I could not live life without Him.

That is all there is to it. God rocks and I am so excited to see how He is going to rock it out this Christmas season! I know He has big plans for many people around me and that brings me joy!

I went back on my blog to see what I wrote about 2 years ago today and I saw that I wrote an entry on "our eyes" and how important they are. Something inside me said to link it because someone might need to read it today. As always, I will be obedient to that "feeling." So click HERE if you wanna read that post. Have a wonderful week and remember that God will NEVER let go of you so keep your eyes on HIM!

Cerly Grace. 11 months old

2011-11-27T09:15:00.000-06:00

Dear Cerly Grace,

Happy 11 months! When I look at this picture I think about how old you look and how much you have grown this year....you are such a big girl!

I was thinking I would write 11 things about you this month.....

1. You weigh 18 pounds 14 ounces.

2. You wear size 12 month clothes and you wear size 3 diapers.

3. You still have your same sleep schedule since you were 3 months old. You take a morning nap, afternoon nap and then sleep 7-7 at night. You don't like pacifiers and you only suck your thumb for a few minutes when you lay down to go to sleep.

4. You love all kinds of food. You are nothing like your sister in that area....you will eat anything. I even found you eating dog food (the dry kind) last week. Yuck! I think you thought they were cherrios. I have to keep my eye on you constantly or you get into things like that. But you love eating.

5. You can walk all around the furniture but you have not let go yet. I would say walking is coming soon :)

6. Your favorite things are bath time, Brylee, and songs. Sometimes you get all three of those at the same time and you are just as happy as you can be.

7. Your eyes are still bright blue and your hair is blonde.

8. You have 2 teeth and 3 more are coming in right now.

9. You are always happy Cerly and you are such a joy to be around.

10. You do everything that Brylee does, or at least you try. I am going to have to watch Brylee extra carefully so that I don't have two girls getting in trouble because you will definitely follow her right now. The best is when she is singing praise songs...you try to sing too.

11. You are a Mommy's girl 110%. I don't like being away from you because of it. You are always wanting me to hold you and I love it! Of course you will go to other people and you are fine with it but there is no doubt that you are a momma's girl. Your Miggie tells me that I hold you extra close and I would have to agree :)

Happy 11 months pretty girl. Love, Mommy

What's going on?!

2011-11-26T08:26:00.000-06:00

I feel like I need a "catch-up" blog post today. So many random things going on and my mind can't decide on one thing to write about.

This has definitely been the weirdest week ever thanks to the stomach bug. If your family has not had it yet then I pray it doesn't find you. It is awful. Not much knocks me off my feet but that bug definitely did. My parents picked up the girls on Wednesday and I think I slept from morning to night...and then all night again. I have not slept that much since I became a mom I don't think! My parents saved the day for me and then they both spent Friday being sick...I hate that so much. All this to say, wash your hands and stay away from sick people! We are finally sick free but it took all week.

Anyway, I did get lots of online Christmas shopping done while I was recovering so that worked out. I am not into all the black Friday shopping....I like my sleep too much. Maybe one year I will get out and see what it's about. But for now I shopped right from the computer!

What else?!

Oh, we move in like 8 days. That is too soon. We are moving to the rental house for 3 months and then to our new house. It is going to be interesting for sure. I should be packing instead of blogging I think!

Look at little miss trying to get up the stairs....she is way too big these days :)

Oh and here she is worshiping and singing with Brylee. I told you that it is adorable to see a baby worship!!

I know I am going to love Christmas this year because Brylee understands everything now. Last night we watched all of the Christmas kid shows that always come on after Thanksgiving and she loved it. I already can't wait for Christmas morning :) Plus it is Cerly's first Christmas so that will be so special too.

I am all about hats and headbands lately because I don't have time to fix my hair...ever! Most days it seems like an impossible task so I am not worrying about it. Any of you other moms feel this way?!

CG has 3 teeth coming in at the same time and yet she is still so good. She will fuss here and there but I can't get over how quiet she is even when she doesn't feel well. Her hands are constantly like this....

I can't believe she will be 11 months tomorrow. We are about to head to go take her 11 month pictures right now....her first birthday is just around the corner.

Speaking of birthdays....

Brylee loved her birthday gift from us-this is the tent that I found her at that craft show I went to. She had a blast playing in it all day yesterday. She got all her stuff immediately and put everything inside. She even took Cerly in there and closed the curtains....that was scary! I will have to keep my eye on her lol.

Anyway, I think that is it. Totally random but that is my life right now!

Happy 3rd Birthday Brylee June!

2011-11-25T07:58:00.000-06:00

Dear Brylee,

Today is your THIRD birthday. Three whole years. Three whole beautiful years!

I could never put into words what you have brought into our lives. From the day you were born I was changed completely. I remember bringing you home on Thanksgiving Day 3 years ago and feeling like the most thankful person in the whole wide world.

From the moment I saw you I cried tears of joy and to this day I can still cry those same tears of joy when I think of all the amazing memories you have brought to our family. I love so many things about Brylee. I love your smile and how it lights up a room. I love your laugh, especially your belly laugh. I love how you watch me and how you want to do everything that I do...even though you are too little to do most of it. I love your brain and your vocabulary...you constantly amaze me at the things you say! I love how you care about what everyone else is doing, you already have a big sweet heart. I love your raspy voice, it is adorable. I seriously love everything about you Brylee June!

I was looking back at old pictures....look how much you have changed over the years....

I hope you have the best third birthday ever. You are a beautiful little blessing.

I love you, Mommy

James 1:17

"Every good and perfect gift is from above."

A different Thanksgiving....

2011-11-24T10:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

The last few days have been poopy around here. Us girls were supposed to fly out to Arkansas on Wednesday for Thanksgiving but I woke up in the middle of the night Tuesday very sick. Still not sure if it was food poisoning or stomach bug....either way, it was not fun. So now it's Thursday morning and I am just getting out of bed for the first time. I still don't feel great but definitely better than the last two days.

Today will definitely be a different Thanksgiving without Brandon. We have never been apart on Thanksgiving, and I hope it never happens again, but these things happen.

Last week Brylee and I played blocks. As she was building tall towers of blocks I was spelling out words of all the things that I was thankful for....

Here are some of the words that have either changed my life or words that I am very thankful for. We had a good time playing blocks....

Great words for sure :)

And then of course the last two.....with pictures from last week :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE, GOD BLESS YOU!!