Update on Ava

Since several of you have been asking about Ava, I thought I would give a little update. She is recovering nicely. When Todd gave her a blessing, it said that she would be careful so that the cut would heal properly. She has been very cautious and does not want anything near it; in addition, she doesn't want anyone touching it unless they are "cleaning it for the doctor to see on Wednesday".
The black eye has begun to turn yellow, which has frightened Ava a little- but she's a trooper. She will go see our doctor on Wednesday to get them taken out. From there we will begin the scar treatments & hope for the best with her continued healing. Although it has made Ava Grace a little more hesitant in her play, she hasn't stopped being her usual silly self. In fact she & Sydnee were on their way to play outside and Ava opened the door for Sydnee & said, "You look beautiful, come on outside!" They are so fun to watch, I love that they are good friends- it definitely beats being enemies...

Here is a picture of her. Click to enlarge if you really want a close look.
Thanks for all your kind words & well wishes.

Easter Pictures!

We had a fabulous Easter with my family, here are a few pictures...

Crying in the ER

So it's official, Todd & I spent our first night as parents at the ER. Ava awoke after having a fabulous time at the Jacobsen's housewarming party in a full-out scream. I was on my way home after cleaning up & Todd had just put them down about 45 minutes.
So he enters the bedroom with Ava standing in the middle of her room screaming. He goes to comfort her when he sees all of the blood. I remember from an incident with my Nacogdoches friend Schuyler that the face bleeds a lot. So when I get home he is standing in the garage with the door open waiting for me.
Here's a brief analysis of our personalities in a crisis: for some reason when in the midst of a crisis, I am cool-headed. I claim this goes back to when Jacob hurt his lip- even as a little girl I was able to remain calm despite the blood. This was the same last night. Todd was not sure what to do, so I organized us all to go to the ER. On the way I sat in the back of the car talking to Ava in the event she had a concussion to keep her awake. There's more to this analysis later....
Anyhow at the ER, the girls were great. Ava, somewhat covered in blood, was calm but tired. Sydnee who had been asleep was wide awake. Both were actually funny as we talked about the noises to keep Ava's mind occupied. There is an especially loud air conditioning blowing thingie that keeps bugs out of the hospital- they thought that was funny. We talked about all the bugs that are being blown out.
Ava was great with the nurses and doctors. She explained that she fell out of bed & hit her head. Her deep cut is on her right eyebrow. The people at the ER were very sweet to her. Once we got into a room, they turned on cartoons and assessed the situation. The doctor said it looked too big for glue & that it would most likely require stitches. Now I have had experience with children getting stitched when I worked for the shelter. It's way not fun. So here's part 2 of my personality assessment: once we are in better hands, and the actual doctoring takes place- I'm not a valuable assset anymore, but luckily Todd is. We decided we compliment each other well. I had to leave the room, with a sleeping Sydnee at this point, to cry with Ava. I can't describe this feeling accurately, but I will say that it's heart-wrenching and painful. She screamed and cried as they sewed her up. Todd held her hand and talked her through it. She screamed my name many times, which didn't help me at all. I wanted to be brave for her, but I couldn't help crying myself because I hated that she hurt. The worse part of the procedure is when they got to a point where the paper fell over her eyes and she couldn't see Todd anymore, and she screamed louder than ever.
When is was all over, I went in- sadly composed- and held her. Such a small procedure, really- but so dramatic! She was asleep in a matter of minutes; it had been a very long day. So we got home, put her in our bed & we all wen to sleep. We are up this morning a little groggy, but awake. Ava looked at herself in the mirror and said she looked scary. I remember thinking that about Jacob when he came back with stitched in his lip. So in about 5 days she will get them removed & I will work hard on doing all of the things I need to do to prevent bad scarring. As vain as it is, that is a worry of mine. It's all her eyebrow, and hair might not grow back...so we'll see if some of the new ideas behind scarring will be effective.
Anyhow, Ava let me take some pictures of her to show you, so here is our little princess. We're going to the movie today (for the first time) to celebrate her bravery. She has 8 stitches. It's still very puffy and Ava as trying to smile- which is not really a smile. :)

Hey YOU there!

So I was chatting with my dear husband last night & I told him I missed his posts on the blog- especially since this was HIS blog. He said he was almost motivate to post! So I'm putting it out there for all to see:

Hey YOU there! What's on your mind lately?

Exhausted

Well it has been quite a dramatic few days as I put the finishing touches on my Artisan Award entries. My stampin' room is a MESS! But the projects are done, and in the mail.

Note: Those that do not know what the Artisan Award is- it is a contest between Stampin' Up! Demonstrators that is awarded to the top 10 Artists who submit 5 cards, 3 scrapbook pages, & 2 3-D items to Stampin' Up!

I am not stamping today. I need to stamp tomorrow, but today I'm taking a rest. I think it would be best if I just cleaned it up a bit, and the rest of the house for that matter.


So let me tell you just a hint of my Artisan Award entry drama. When I was finished with it all, I was filling out all of the information needed which includes all of the supplies for all of the projects. I had my catalog in hand making sure I had all of the names right, etc.. when I came across an over-sight. I had used retired eyelets on one of my scrapbook pages- AHH!!! (This is a big deal b/c it would have disqualitfied me instantly after hours of labor!) I was so tired by that point I didn't even want to THINK about it! I had already given up on the whole thing several times, so this was just the last straw. So I just went to bed. I awoke with an idea & got to work EARLY. It turned out just fine, I won't go into details- but it's all okay now.


And speaking of details, I would love to post all of my work, but I think it will disqualify me & since I worked my buns off- I'm not willing to risk it. When the winners are announced, you will see them one way or another- if I am among them, you'll see them through Stampin' Up. If I'm in the loser bracket- you will see them on my Stampin' Blog & mourn the loss of such fun projects with me. (I never get them back). Sound like a plan? Let's just hope for the best, though for now.


So this is what I'm banking on that could help me win, just humor me for a sec:

• People accidentally using retired stuff


• People not following directions & all that entales


• People not getting it in in time


• People giving up & therefore making the competition slimmer!

I am thinking this will unfortunatly happen to a lot of people because....drum roll please...they ALL almost happened to me! :)

So to all who actually entered, best wishes- hope to see you in the winner's circle! To those who fit in these catagories...I feel your pain!

Retreat Myself

I had a lovely St. Patty's day. It was just a laid back wearing green kind of day. I was going to make something green for dinner but didn't remember till we were eating. Oops. :)

This past weekend was my stampin' retreat. I had a fabulous time, and we've been getting back really great/helpful feedback. I am thrilled with all that I was able to get done, even though when I was showing Todd I thought there would be more. BUT! I did give away some of the cards I had made, so I guess that's okay. I'm glad that we have been smarter about Retreat & hope that Leah & I continue to make improvements. We definitely made a HUGE improvement in location & food- which were our 2 main complaints last time.
We've decided to cut down on classes. It will be a challenge figuring out what classes to offer next time. Most everyone's favorite classes have been ones we didn't think we'd repeat- the beginner class & the technique class. I think what is great about these classes is that they were quick. So maybe I'll do a stamp-a-stack of Christmas cards & a technique class. The tech-y classes are always fun- people come up with some crazy techniques & I've only scratched the surface on them. The Back to the Basics class was a big hit & there were plenty of things we didn't cover, so that would be a no-brainer, especially since prep for Leah & I is very little. So enough ramblings...You see my work on my StampWithLinz site.

Actually the BEST part of retreat was being with my friends, Mamaceta & sisters. We enjoyed poking fun at each other, eating Mom's cooking, & laughing at Heather's lame jokes- or my silly stories. I just love them all to pieces & wish we could be together more often!

Easter is this weekend & I am totally excited. We love to entertain & my family is coming up- we might even take the girls to go see that Horton movie. Anyhow, it should be fun. We decorated yesterday, everything up high so it can't be messed up. :)

Have a great week!

Balloon Fun

I discovered a fantastic distraction for little kidd-o's! Last Friday, the girls and I went to HEB and, as usual, they each got a balloon. If you have ever looked up at the ceiling in HEB in Woodway, you would see quite a few balloons up there; they are probably the girls' because they like watching them float away so they can say bye-bye to them. In a rare feat, the balloons actually made it all the way back home.

They soon discovered a fun game called Let the Balloons Float to the Ceiling so Daddy Can Get Them Down. I got tired of playing, so I tied each balloon to a couple of their little toys. Now they had an even better game because the helium in the balloons was equal to the weight of the little toys, so when they would through the balloons in the air, they would remain suspended for about a full minute before slowly coming back down. They were so excited and entertained for about an hour!

The Princesses

Here are a few picts of the girls in their dresses for Todd's sister's wedding...Sydnee was quite impressed with herself. :) I'm sure the photographer got better shots, but here are a few of mine. :)

Baby, It's COLD outside!

This morning as Ava woke up & was on her way to our bedroom she yells, "Mommy, Daddy! It's snow outside!" And sure enough- she was right. They lasted about 5 minutes...maybe less. Yes, we are TEXANS! :)

So who's blog is it?

This blog was originally created for Todd to keep family & friends updated in our whereabouts while I was busy stamping & posting on my blog. It was HIS idea, however if you look through the recent posts you will see that slowly, it has become MY blog about the family. So, let's analyze this friends. How did this happen? Do I have more time to devote to this blog? Well, no not actually. Does Todd have less time? No, not less- about the same.

I'll answer the question. You knew I would!

Two things #1)Todd has lack of motivation. He just is not sure anyone really cares. I totally get that, I'm not sure they do either (about my posts)- but I keep posting. I think this stems from the fact that Todd was the first in our family to do a blog & the blog got little activity. Then I began my Stampin' blog & BAMM! 50,000 hits and I haven't even hit my year mark! So, lack of motivation or secret jealousy that he can't stamp as well as I can. :)

#2) He has absolutely nothing to say- or at least he THINKS he doesn't. For those that actually know Todd, he can be quite wordy- but for those looking in on us, he's the quiet one of the bunch.

So friends, today I have been given admin privileges and I ran with them! I've posted pictures, I've changed the lay-out, hey- I've wasted a lot of precious time. So, just between you & me- let's guess how long it will take Todd to check the blog again. Prize? I'm sure we can find some Mars products laying around here. :)

Note to self

I have no idea who actually reads this blog. Unlike my stamping blog, if you come to this site you want to know what's really going on in our lives...or maybe you're just nosy- either way, we spill it all on this blog- the good, bad, & ugly. I have considered making another blog entitled "Note to Self" to record all of the things I have learned in my journey- especially with my new church responsibilities. This week has been a flood of "lessons learned" so instead of making my own private no-one-can-read blog, I'll just put it up here & I won't go into too much detail to save the innocent. :) If you read on, just remember- I am SO still learning.

So here they are, notes just for me-
Sunday: You can be really grouchy when you want to be, it's nicer on everyone else if you are kind. Breathing helps. Singing calms. Remember that one next time you decide to pre-make dinner before 9am church.

Monday: Obviously no parent is perfect, but hey- we knew that one already. Guilt does motivates us to do things, but it can also drag us down. The Lord is in control, He proved that tonight.

Tuesday: Sometimes nodding your head and smiling is better than opening your mouth. In all honesty, your experience of an "unbridled tongue" problem was a bit of a shock to more than just you. We're working on that, right? You don't want unkind words escaping again. The really unfortunate thing is that now that we have been placed in church leadership, we also represent the Lord when we're unkind. Hopefully everyone can remember we're human- but our goal (Lindsey) is to work harder at being a better example at all times.

Wednesday: 2 lessons- friends are good to center us & make us feel human again. Lesson #2 the work will never get done, it's always a work in progress. So just keep on trucking.

Thursday: Just one person's praises can make your whole outlook brighter. Remember that & return the favor.

Friday: (I've been doing visits to a lot of our church members and I was really worried about bringing my little girls along- that they would be pills & unpleasant.) When you're doing the Lord's work- he'll make good things happen to those around you.

So I haven't finished the week yet, but things are better each day. I'm striving to do my best- and that's what really matters! There were many smaller lessons learned- but these are good ones to note.

Thanks for stopping by!

Trauma

Last night the family went up to the hospital to visit my dear friend, Mandy & her new baby and family. Preston, Ava's best friend was greeted with chicken nuggets and milk- what could be better than that? Riley- Preston's new little sister is cute and Mandy is doing well. It was good to see them. I'm so happy for them. They are dear friends.

After that we went to the park. I debated sharing this part for fear of being chided in my already guilt-filled-self, but I think there's got to be something we can learn from all of this. After we had eaten dinner, the girls were playing on the playground. Ava wanted to go down the big slide, which she has done before- so Todd & I went to help her. She did great. Well, as you know anything that Ava does, Sydnee also wants to do. She is so adventurous. So she climbed up the ladder without issue, with Todd right behind her. I was at the bottom of the slide encouraging them. In retrospect, he should have gone all the way down with her, but she's been down many slides- so we weren't concerned. Sydnee, who is normally fearless became scared just as Todd let go and in her panic Sydnee grabbed the side of the slide with such force that she yanked herself off and fell from the top of the slide. It's an image I'll be haunted with for all time. Since I was at the bottom of the slide and Todd was at the top, there was no way to catch her & she fell. I won't go into many more details other than saying she was fine. She cried (and so did I) & said her chin hurt, but otherwise was picture perfect. We are counting our blessings that the playground surface was gravel & softened her fall tremendously. I don't want to even think about other scenarios. There was a mother there who saw it happen who came over to talk to us- she said she was a family practice doctor & that Sydnee handled her fall well & looked fine. We left. Lesson learned, guilt pronounced. It's often a hard call as a parent to judge the ability or non-ability of a child. Sydnee is so small, but she is also so confident in climbing that it jaded us in thinking she could handle it. So I'm reliving it a lot today, but I'm trying my best to put it under the "lesson learned" category and move on. I can say for sure that there were angels there watching after her. I saw the whole thing happen and I can't help to think that something else softened her fall. To sum it up, I'm hugging both little girls a little longer today.

Now, I've got to get some work done. Hope your day is going well...

Happy Birthday Ava

We had a family dress-up party, it was a lot of fun & here are some of the fun people who came.

Happy Birthday Ava

Ava's first picture, 1 hour old

3 years old...

It's hard to believe that 3 years ago I was holding a newborn. 3 years seems like so long ago, especially when I look at Ava now. She is so fun, cute & smart. I was sitting down eating lunch with her talking about how its her birthday & she was so silly. She gasped and said, "It can be your birthday, too, Mommy!" Then she proceeded to tell me that fingernails were actually teeth on our fingers...did I mention she was silly?
I went to Wal-Mart today to get stuff for our family get-together to celebrate Ava tomorrow. I stopped by the container isle to price some items for Ava & Sydnee's closet. I totally scored. They had PINK medium containers with lids on sale for $1. I put them all in my already full cart & thought that it was probably misplaced & they were more like $4-6. NOPE! They were on sale- since they were pink, maybe they were Valentines? I don't know, nor do I care, but can I get a Yeehaw? Who can beat that? But I digress...
Tonight Todd & I are going to see Evita with the Prices. When I bought the tickets at Christmastime I didn't realize they were the same day as Ava's birthday, but oh well. She gets to celebrate her birthday with some of her favorite people today & tomorrow...again, "Who can beat that?" So here are a few of my favorite pictures of Ava...just to be all sappy.
I love this little girl. She has a fire in her spirit that is contagious. She has always been a social butterfly, observing the people around her. When she was a baby (and still today) people often comment on what a beauty she is- I've been her beauty inside & out. She is kind, and polite. She is a great sister, who loves her little sister & calls her her best friend. Ava loves giving hugs, and kisses and is great about saying I love you. She's always ready for an adventure & will play pretend for hours. She loves to play dress-up and we often find her asleep in her bed with a princess dress over her pjs. Ava is our teacher, being the first to join our little family. She is my little girl and my blessing, and today I celebrate my love for this blue-eyed beauty who came into my life & changed my world forever.