Gumworks

We go in tomorrow to an oral surgeon to get a little work on O's gums done. I hate to put her through the pain since it's not just absolutely medically necessary, but I think she'll thank me for it when she's 16 and doesn't have a gap a mack truck could drive through. (O, my girl, I actually have always thought your smile is beautiful the way it is, honey, but I don't want you to hold a grudge against me when you're older if I don't get this done now! )Say a quick prayer for her tonight and tomorrow if you could, dear friends.

Hot Mission work

Just wanted to post a picture of Drew and O and E on Saturday. They went to a low-income area in town and passed out fliers door-to-door at apartment complexes promoting a mission project our church is doing there. Drew said the heat was unbearable, but our girls were champs. They got rewarded with Sno-Biz afterward (so did Momma and M!). This is a picture of them before they left. The sweat-factor and hair-dos were quiet different when they returned, but I don't have a picture of that!

Who is M?

I get emails from old friends a lot asking me what M is like. Many of you don't know her since she was only 5 months old when we moved, so I wanted to post a couple of pictures and tell you a little about her. As you can probably see, she is very petite, with blonde hair. This is just one of the ways she is different from the other girls. O was just a solid baby, from head to toe, and E, I swear, was the Michelin baby. She was a chunky monkey! They both wore clothing sizes 6 months to a year larger than their age. M wears 12 months, and is almost 17 months old. She is a terrible eater, and is somewhere around 15th percentile in weight and height. I'm not worried about her, though, since she still has those precious, squishy rolls on her arms and legs, though they are petite, too! She is also definitely her own personality. She is my most affectionate child..has been from day one. She sucks her thumb, and kisses and hugs all of us all the time. She is really silly and loves to make us laugh. She, many times, does things she shouldn't be doing for her age, like knowing how to put a straw in a juice box, or climbing up our barstools and pushing the speaker button on the phone and dialing a number. She knows how to throw things away in the garbage, sweep the floor, and put food in the cat's bowl. She's quite precocious. However, she is pretty fiesty, too. If she's sleepy, watch out. She can be really grumpy. She has a dimple only when she frowns (which doesn't help our willpower when we're trying to discipline her). She also has a scream that reaches a few decibels over the sound of a jet take-off, and the frequency of fingernails on a chalkboard. I do not lie, she truly has a remarkable scream that will haunt you. She is strong-willed, and as she gets bigger, I fully expect her to be able to pin her big sisters down and beat the heck out of them. That is my little M. She is what I like to call "Sweet-n-Sour," or "Sweet-n-Sassy," whichever fits on any given day. The first pic is M at the pool playing with the rinsing shower. Lucky for me, she stands there for most of the time we're at the pool, which keeps her safely away from the big pool. The second pic is of her wearing her coloring apron. She really thinks she's cute in it, and loves scribbling with the crayons. I love my baby-girl M.

6 kids!!

Well, I just had an old friend leave after lunch today. She came yesterday morning from Memphis with her 3 children, age 7 (twins), and age 3. We had a great time. Her kids get along with mine wonderfully. However-I am looking at my playroom and wondering if I can muster up the energy to clean it ONE MORE TIME. I guess it's my penance for going out with my friend to see "Mama Mia" last night, and having Drew babysit. (I owe him big!) I think things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand if they'd been able to play outside more. It is too darn hot!! Also...how can 6 kids eat THAT much? Summer....I'm ready to say goodbye. It's time for some structure for the kids and a cool breeze in the air!

O's 7th Birthday

Well, my baby's growing up. She's now 7 years old! We celebrated the day by going to Vanelli's with Daddy, E, M, Momma, and Mimi, then the following day, had her party. It was a movie themed party, and after cake, presents, and games, we settled in the backyard for a movie and snacks, and had a few girls spend the night. Exhausting, but awesome fun!!

At Vanelli's, enjoying some brownie and ice cream!

I didn't have the patience to label each one of these, but as you can see, Drew dressed up as a movie attendant (the boy's not afraid of some dress up!). We gave them tickets to get in, we gave them purses with money to buy popcorn, candy and drinks, and they sat on blankets for the movie. We watched "The Waterhorse", O's favorite (but a random choice in our opinion) They lasted about a third of the way through, then went inside and put on makeup, dressed up, and played games. One went home at midnight, but the rest made it through till morning for some donuts and more fun. Happy birthday sweet girl!! It was a blast!!

BOY!!!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!! Introducing Belle Thomas Oliver Love, our new, improved MALE kitten! Note to self: Take any stray animal to the vet before naming it. You'll thank yourself for it.

Sick

Have you ever seen a cat looked "peaked?" Well, I never thought I would, but I did today. O noticed Belle meowing weirdly and we all commented on how her nose and stripes looked different. She proceeds to vomit in the garage shortly after. What great instincts we have! Then, tonight, Drew tells me on phone that Belle looks "perked" up. Woohoo, from "peaked" to "perked!" Listen, I know, I know, how can you tell a cat's condition? I confess, I realized today that I have fallen in love with that little fiesty thing, and it alarms me the teeniest bit. Now I'm going to start having anxiety over whether she can even survive in our crazy environment. As if I needed something else to be anxious about.

Speaking of sick-E has strep throat. She definitely looked "peaked" all weekend, and we finally got our diagnosis. Her being sick doesn't alarm me. My pharmacy bill does. I just pray the vet bill on Thursday doesn't look so bad.

Theatre camp, sleepovers, and friends

O got to do theatre camp this week. She really seemed to enjoy it, and I was impressed with the program. Everyone got to do a part, and they got to dance, sing and act. We watched the show last night and it was precious! My girl can "shake her groove thang" when she dances. So cute. O also had her first attempt at spending the night at a friend's house last week. I had a feeling we'd get a late night phone call, and we did! She came home at 9:30pm. I hate that she feels homesick, but is it okay for me to admit that I kind of liked that she missed me? She's just growing up so fast, and slipping through my fingers, I don't mind that she likes to be home right now. That will change soon enough. My little E..she got to spend the night at Nana's house. That's the equivalent of spending the night in, like, Disney, or Candyland or something. Nana loves to take the girls shopping when she can, and E is the best shopper we've got. She loved getting to pick out a new outfit (does it really, really match?) and some Walmart goodies. As much as I hate getting the little junkie toys home, I love that it's special time spent between them. Mimi also took E, O and cousin M to see the new Kit movie and Chuck E. Cheese and they had a really special time with her. It's been a very busy week for all of us.
So...you'd think I'd just plan for a relaxing weekend...not so much. We loaded the girls up after the program last night, and began our way out of town. Little M was screaming, and E got in trouble and started crying and we thought she had the croup...after a panicked call to my friend Sue, I deduced it wasn't the croup. We then had to turn around and go back for the packnplay, and arrived in Oxford around 10pm. You'd think they'd sleep late, right? Oh, my friends, not my girls. M was up at 5am this morning. Complete torture. So, she also got no nap today, and wouldn't go to bed for the babysitter tonight. She is one hot mess right now. I'm praying for a miracle morning tomorrow, where she catches up on all her lost sleep!
As a side note-we had plans to meet some new friends for dinner tonight. We came so close to canceling b/c we were all so exhausted. However, we pushed on through b/c it's so hard to find a time to get together with people lately. I must say, the night is over and we are so content. A year ago in Bham, we were so worried we wouldn't find friends like ours in Bham. Well, there is noone like our best friends in Bham, but I've learned in the last year that if we are willing to stretch ourselves, and step out of our familiar environments, that God will always provide new people to be a community to us. It just takes making an effort. I feel so blessed to have new friends along with us for this new season of our lives.

Well, we're back....and we're tired! Soooooo tired! We've been at the beach all week, and I still haven't caught up on my sleep. Hmmm, it could be because little M was up at 3AM most mornings! Aghhhh! She's still waking up at 5:45AM, so I still haven't gotten to sleep in. The beach was fun, as usual. With 8 cousins all crammed into one house, plus siblings, spouses, and grandparents, things could get a little touchy at times, but the good times outweighed the bad. We really souped up the golf cart this year for the 4th of July parade. I mean, we ALL got bedazzled up in our 4th gear, including my dorky, loveable hubby Drew. He's not afraid to throw on some blue pants and an Uncle Sam hat. I guess he really loves his girls, so he's not afraid to be silly for them. I love that about him.

We got to spend some much-needed time with our friends Curt and Tammy, and it was just like old times. I'm hoping we can always stay as close as we are now.

Though we spent most of our time at the pool, the girls really loved the beach. E loved getting buried in the sand, M loved eating the sand, and O loved jumping the waves. As I said, I am so exhausted, but I feel so blessed to have my family, and loved laughing with them all this week...."Bingo....is that Bingo?...Bobby, I think that's Bingo coming down the road, and he's got a shirt on!..."

O, dressed up for the 4th

E, decked out in her clothes, riding on the bike

O and my niece M buried up to their necks!

My little M, the little beach lover

The bathing beauty

2 Sassy girls

2 too grown-up girls (my niece R and O)