enchanting...

she is.

(Showing off:

her first hair bow,

sitting up...almost,

and her personal favorite;
spit bubbles.)

first snow

I don't know about you guys, but our household is in a complete frenzy today.

Yesterday the kids glimpsed the first snowflakes of the season up at Grami and Grandpa's.
This morning I decided to wait and see who would be the first to notice their new world of white.

Not surprisingly, it was Gwyneth, upon sitting up to the table for breakfast. "It's snowing!" And they could hardly sit still long enough to eat.
There were shouts of joy, squeals of delight and stimulating conversation ("God makes some pretty tricky things!") as they scrambled out the door to taste, tromp and throw.
Even Adah was awestruck, gazing out at all that white stuff with her nose and hands pressed tightly against the window.

Seeing our world through my children's eyes is breathtaking.
Watching my children discover is beyond compare.

T.O.T.

1. Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. Guess I'll go eat worms.
A song that my cousin, Adrienne taught me when we were little and I still remember (nearly) every word. It pretty much sums up my attitude yesterday, a side affect of the minor health issues I've been experiencing since having Adah. But I'm over it now. God showed me how silly I was being when it suddenly popped into my head during the middle of my pity-party.

2. Today we went to visit my Grandparents. We need to go more often. It's one of those things I'm constantly convicted of. They live just across the lake from us and love to see the kids, but the best part? They love to see me even more. And that's something only a grandparent can give.

3. Speaking of grandparents; this week marks the 100th anniversary of my Great-Grandmother's birth. The very same Great Grandmother I named my daughter after. I never realized until after the fact that they were born almost exactly a century apart. How awesome is that! (Has anyone noticed the birthmark on her mama's neck, similar to mine? This is who everyone in my family thinks I resemble. Thankfully there are prettier photos of her (; She is my great-great grandmother.)

4. My home school journey has officially begun, at the insistence of my oldest son. We now spend our afternoons together working on all things academic and there is nothing I throw at him that he doesn't grasp. From printing letters, to phonics, to numbers, to patterns and even telling time. He devours it all and has left me wondering how I'm ever going to keep up with him next year, let alone after he gets past Kindergarten age.

5. Adah continues to woo us with her sweet, sweet spirit. Daddy says all the time that we envies her happy heart. She has a calming effect on me like nothing else. Truly medicine for my soul.

6. I've lost 5 measly pounds since determining to be my wedding weight once again. It could have something to do with the nasty addiction I have to Raspberry Chocolate flavored coffee creamer. I've cheered myself by stacking up five pounds of butter on the counter and imagining it slathered all over my body instead...and not thinking about the other 25 still smeared all over me. ugh.

7. I'm really mad at myself for wallpapering Gwyneth's room while I was pregnant, even more upset about how much I spent on it, and furious that I never finished it. Never attempt to decorate a room while pregnant. N.E.V.E.R.

8. My hubby recently bought me a Scentsy System. I LOVE it! If you want to make your house smell yummy, this is the way to do it! I love it so much I might even consider hosting a party, and that, my friends, is nothing short of amazing. (my favorite scents all reside in the "Scentsy Man" category. Not sure what that says about me...Rustic Lodge, Hemingway, and African Mahogany, to name a few. "Warm, outdoorsy, woodsy, rich–these words perfectly describe the fragrances in the Scentsy Man Collection. Here you will find scents dominated by amber and musk; woods such as cedar and charred oak; and spices like ginger and frankincense." Yummo!)

9. Can't wait to decorate my house for the holidays this year! Last year I was sick, the year before; twin terrors, and next year another into everything. I better enjoy it while I can. Christmas, here we come!

10. I'm really missing nap time. Now that Camden is doing school every day I get exactly zero free time. Zilch. Nada. It's rough, I tell ya. Does anyone out there have any suggestions on how to keep a pack of monsters 5 and under busy long enough for a few minutes of Mama time?

makin hay while the sun shines

I can't believe I almost forgot about these!

While at Grami's one day, I suddenly realized amidst all the chaos that it'd had been awhile since I'd last seen Camden.

This is where I found him.
Enjoying a few moments of solitude, peace and quiet.
And making "hay".

He could not have been more content.
Nor I.
One of my sweetest memories of summer...
Stolen moments, shared only by us.

blood red?

yes.
blood red. You can't tell it by the pic, but the red extends almost completely around her iris.
And you can see the incision when she looks to the side.

Right this very moment she's outside running around with her brothers.
How's that for resilient?

thank you

for all the prayers.

We most definitely felt them and could not have had a better experience!
Gwyneth was nothing but excited to be there and finally get that darn eye fixed.
She didn't shed a tear the entire visit.
In fact, I decided, on a whim, to decline the "kiddy cocktail" they usually give to relax them.
It's supposed to make the separation easier.
It didn't work the first time around and just makes waking up afterwards harder and more upsetting. (think non-stop screaming for 20 minutes or so)
I could tell they weren't exactly thrilled about my decision, but I think they were pleasantly surprised when our Dr. came in and asked Gwyn if she wanted to walk down to the operating room with her. Gwyneth said, "Sure!", hopped off the bed and strolled hand-in hand with the doctor down the hall without even looking back, let alone saying good-bye to Mommy and Grandma. Stinker.
Her doctor told us that after they got to the room Gwyneth announced that she had to go potty, so she took her. Something I wouldn't normally be comfortable with, but what do ya do? And I think it's pretty neat that she cared enough to help her. Gwyneth just loves her. She's been seeing her since she was not much older than Adah is now. And it's pretty awesome that God gave her a woman doctor (one of only four total pediatric eye surgeons in the area) given her extreme apprehension of most men.
Surgery went well. They only had to operate on one eye. I can already tell that it vastly improved her range of motion, if not fixed it completely. And I would really recommend not doing the kiddy cocktails whenever possible. Post-op was a dream! She woke up, drank some juice, had a Popsicle, got dressed and we were outta there! Not one bit of fussing the entire time! Well, until on the way home when she finished devouring her chicken nuggets and wanted more. Ravenous! I don't think I've ever seen her that hungry!
Her eye is bloody red. Although, not as bad as I remember it being last time and she is tearing blood. It's also draining blood out her nose. Disturbing. But she just thinks she has a sniffle and hasn't realized it's blood, yet. Ignorance is bliss.
She's already back to her sassy self and was too busy working on a craft project from Grandma to be bothered with nap time.
Thank you, again, for all your prayers!
I cannot even begin to express my relief that this is finally over.

Please say a prayer

for Gwyneth.

She has eye surgery at 8:30 in the morning.

Possibly on both eyes.

And while you're at it say a prayer for Mama, too.

There's no doubt I'm more nervous about it than she is.