Memaw, Last Day of School, and Jeb Video

Today is Grandma's birthday. She would have been 86. Looks old when I write it, but she was so feisty. Hilarious and feisty. Happy Birthday, Grandma. The girls sang for you today. I know you heard.

Today was also Belle's last day of school. She was able to wear her field trip shirt with fun shorts since they were going to be playing outside with water toys. She had so much fun. I now have a kindergartener!



Clearly I did the video all by myself since there is no sound. Hmmmm? Couldn't quite figure that out. Only a mother could love video of a little baby just laying there wiggling with no sound. Didn't stop me from posting it though, did it? Anyway, he's still a doll. Seriously, have you ever seen anything cuter? I love my little boy.

As an update, I totally emailed Target with my giraffe pool complaint. To date, Target has not responded. Curse you, Giraffe Pool! Additionally, we got a good report from our realtor on the showing but are still waiting for an offer. Still hoping...

Giraffe Pool

Ummmm... can you say discrepancy? We bought this pool for the girls at Target last weekend. Looks like fun, huh? Pretty big. There's like four kids playing it in. Maybe looks like four more could easily fit.


Notice the large giraffe head towering above the little girl, spewing out a geyser of water. (Her arms are even up in the air!!) Well, either that child is an elf or my children are giants because Belle and Dru literally have to lay down as low as they can get underneath the giraffe to get a trinkle of water on them. There is absolutely no spewing. And there's no way two more kids could even fit in this itty bitty thing.


$40. Yes, that's what we paid for this overabundance of giraffe fun. I have never seen such false advertising, but oh... we fell for it. Maybe we got the small scale display model by accident. Oh no... here is the kicker. I kid you not... I did not write this with a sharpie.


"NO DIVING." Hey parents, do not let your kids dive in this pool, and do not leave them unsupervised in the 4 1/2 centimeters of water. Thanks for the warning, all you manufacturers of the giraffe pool. I appreciate it.

House Praying

So, yesterday, I just had a feeling that a realtor would call us today, and guess what... I was right. Our realtor is bringing a couple by tomorrow at 3:45 to look at the house. We've had several people come since we listed it a few weeks ago, but I just feel really good about it this time. So, this is me tonight...(Minus the long hair and hideous grandma nightgown. Isn't church clipart the scariest thing you've ever seen?) And please feel free to join me in praying. Baby Jeb has now begun an official protest of his car seat, and the 30 minute drive between here and Springdale gets worse by the day. Not to mention, gas prices are eating us alive! So, I'm praying for a miracle tonight.

Memorial Day

We had a nice, but busy Memorial Day. The kids and me and Matt went to Russellville to see Grandpa, and as always, were busy the entire time. Matt worked cows, mowed the yard, fixed the oven, and took the girls on the 4-wheeler several times. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned, and let me tell you... you just haven't truly cleaned until you've cleaned the house of an 85 year old man who lives alone. Wow. I'm trying to talk him into getting a housekeeper, but he keeps insisting he doesn't need one. I want to say, "Yes, but I DO!"

After we got home, I cleaned our house in hopes a realtor will call tomorrow and want to show it, and Matt mowed our yard while the girls played outside and ate popsicles. I love warm weather. There's nothing like sending the girls out with the threat, "If you open that door one more time, no more popsicles!"

I don't have many pictures from the weekend, but I'll share what I've got...

Happy baby


Already had a bath...

And last but not least, my hardened criminals. I'm not sure which one gets the cry baby award for the day. I just thought this picture looked too much like a mug shot to pass up the opportunity.

Brain Zaps, Sleeping Baby, KDO, and Bike Day

BRAIN ZAPS So for the past month or so, I've been convinced my brain was shorting out. I mentioned it to Matt a few times, but figured why should I talk about it when the inevitable result was my imminent death. I kept putting off getting on the internet in an attempt to self-diagnose because I tend to... self-diagnose with the end result almost always being cancer, leading to... death. But yesterday I bit the bullet and unexpectedly found exactly what I believe my problem is. BRAIN ZAPS. No I didn't make up the word. Apparently, these electrical shock sensations occur in the body (mainly in the head) when people stop using certain medications, namely the medication I was on after having Jeb and going through post-partum. Brain zaps. Not brain cancer. Not my imminent death. Whew!

SLEEPING BABY This is the second night in a row Jeb has slept through the night. Yesterday he woke up at 7:30, today 6:30. God is good! So is sleep.

KDO Yesterday was Estella's last day ever at Kids Day Out. So sad! I only have Jeb left to do KDO.Then

Now

BIKE DAY Next week is Belle's last week of K-4. Again, so sad. Yesterday the K-4 students were able to bring their bikes and scooters to school. Belle was so excited and had a great time... except now she wants to "throw away her bike and get a scooter." Nice. A big thanks to all you scooter parents.
That's my family update. We still haven't sold our house but did finally list it. Lord, bring on the buyers!

Steven Curtis Chapman

My heart is aching tonight for a family I've never met and probably never will. I was driving Estella Dru to Kids Day Out this morning when I heard the news that Steven Curtis Chapman's five year old daughter was killed in a tragic accident yesterday evening. It may seem a bit weird that I could get so upset about an event I am so far away from and people whom I don't know. But though I've never met SCC, he has without a doubt been one of the greatest sources of comfort and strength in my life. I began listening to him in jr. high school when my life was, or so I thought it was, quite painful and difficult to muddle through. I would sit in my room for hours listening to my "tapes" over and over and just feeling renewed and gaining strength from his music like I couldn't find anywhere else. Even during Grandma's funeral... I had chosen a song called Unfailing Love by Chris Tomlin to be played during a slide presentation. I didn't really know the song that well, but while I was hurriedly sampling music the day before the funeral, that song just stuck out to me. I think the first time I listened to it the entire way through was as I sat in the service, and all of a sudden, at the end of the song, I hear SCC's voice. Apparently he joined Chris Tomlin on the track. I had no idea, but I sat there thinking... how fitting it is for him to show up here at this very moment in my life when he had been there with me through so many other struggles and in the depths of my desperation. And once again, just the sound of his voice, the familiarity, brought me comfort. Sounds ridiculously corny, I know, but I have often thought, if I could meet anyone in the world, it would be SCC simply so I could say the words, "thank you." I cannot imagine how many people feel the same way and how many lives he has touched with his amazing, amazing talent. Just in my little insignificant life, wow... what a difference he made. I would still love to tell him 'thank you', but for now, what I can do is pray for that precious family.

There are so many SCC songs that have meant so much to me over the years, but there is one in particular called Believe Me Now. I hope the Chapman family holds on to this type of hope.

So believe Me now
Believe it's true
I never have, I never will abandon you
And the God that I have always been
I will forever be
So believe Me now

Poor Decision Making

Am I horrible for thinking this is hilarious? (Don't answer that.) Poor Drusy.