Thank Full!

I love Thanksgiving.  I love everything about it.  Family, food, cool weather (fingers crossed), football, parades...you get the picture.  It's my favorite time of year.  I try to remember to be thankful all of the time, not just in November, but it's always good to count your blessings just to be reminded of how good God always is to us!  My list reads much like so many other peoples: I'm thankful for my Lord, who loves me unconditionally and forgives all of my sins and shortcomings.  I'm thankful for my husband, who is faithful and strong, makes me laugh and puts up with me when I am impossible to deal with.  I am thankful for my beautiful daughters, who bring joy and laughter to my days and make me proud to be their Momma.  I am thankful for my big, wonderful family, the ones I was born with and the ones who treat me like they've known me forever.  I am thankful for my job, because it helps me provide for my family and gives me a chance to help people.  I am thankful for my coworkers, because they understand the stress and frustration, and make me smile when I want to cry.  I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.  I have so many wonderful people and things to be thankful for every day of the year, but sometimes I forget to be thankful about the trials and struggles.  A very wise person (Melanie Jones) shared some wisdom from her very wise Momma (Diane Thibodeaux) with me many years ago when I was going through the hardest time of my life.  She said something to the effect of, the "highs" in your life--the level of joy and happiness you experience, will be in direct proportion to your "lows" and the hard times you go through.  I've thought of that often since then, and I've realized how true it is.  I know firsthand how God can use hurt, sadness, frustration, and heartache to bring joy and peace to your heart. I have seen beauty come from ashes.  I am so quick to forget the faithfulness of God, and His constant provision for me and my family.  In the past few years, God has worked a miracle in my life, so slowly and gently that I didn't even realize it at first. He has healed a relationship that I thought was beyond repair, and covered over years of hurt and anger.  I never thought that things would be the way they are now with this person, that my heart would have softened this much.  I tear up whenever I think about it, because I didn't think it was possible.  How foolish of me, when I know that ALL things are possible with God.  This is what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving: that He loves me so much He will answer a prayer I stopped praying a long time ago and bring peace to a situation that seemed hopeless.  My heart is thank-full and my cup overflows. Praying a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving for all of our family and friends!  

Making memories...and detergent!!

Abigail and I decided to make homemade laundry detergent last night!  She was very excited about the "project", even though she didn't fully understand what we were making.  (She thought we could eat it--her Momma's child!)  She was a big helper and unwrapped all of the soap for me and then stirred everything together at the end!  She really loves helping out and doing things with her Momma, and I hope that never changes!

Oh, heavenly day...

I've been a little melancholy lately.  Don't know if it's the holidays coming, work stress, or what, but I've just kinda been in a funky mood the last few days.  Justin and I went on a little trip--without the girls--and it seems like I'm having a hard time adjusting back to "normal".  I missed my babies terribly but I think we all needed a little break!  Justin's gone this weekend on the annual Slaydon hunting trip to Homer, LA, so it's just us girls around here.  We had a birthday party this morning and a little grocery shopping to do, then we came home and piled up and took a good nap!  And now, watching them dance and twirl around to Patty Griffin's "Heavenly Day", I just wanna cry.  Not sure why, but I just have this sense that I need to really take in all of these little moments.  Even now, I catch myself telling Julianne, "I'm not gonna hold you all the time!" when she wants up in my lap while I'm typing.  And then I think, why not??  Why not hold her when she wants me to, before she doesn't want me to anymore?  I think I will.

Sissy

Yes, yes, yes, Aunt Carol, it's been a hundred years since I've posted anything!!  I'm sorry, I really am.  I'd tell y'all all about how busy we've been and how I just haven't had time, but nobody really wants to hear that!  I'll try to do better, I promise.  Just don't count on many pictures right away, since our camera has finally died.  I just wanted to share this little nugget, since it makes my heart happy!

Having 2 girls with "long" names, I get a lot of "What do y'all call her?", "Does she have a nickname?" Some people call Abigail "Abbie", but that's pretty much it.  Justin and I call them by their full names, and the only "nickname" we've ever used is "Sister".  We use it with both girls, and sometimes Abigail will refer to Julianne or herself as "Sister".  We figured we'd just let them call each other whatever they wanted, and try not to really influence them.  Julianne is just jabbering away now, and she's really started talking more (and more clearly) this last week or so.  She will sometimes say "Abbie" and point (or kick or yell) in Abigail's general direction.  A few days ago, she started saying something, and it took me a few minutes to figure it out.  She was calling Abigail "Sissy".  Most of you know that was what everyone called my Momma instead of her first name, Elizabeth.  We've never called the girls Sissy, only Sister.  Julianne came up with that on her own, I guess.  Or maybe she had a little help. :) Either way, I think it just might stick.

Twins...Almost!

So the general consensus of all of our family and friends is this:

Justin and I each have a "mini-me": Julianne ("Justine") looks just like her Daddy, and Abigail favors me more. It's true, there's no denying it! Funny thing is, when Abigail was born, everyone thought she looked just like her Daddy! Then ol' Julianne came along! I've been looking back through pictures of Abigail when she was about 9 months old (Can't believe my baby girl is almost that old already!), and I really think these two princesses are starting to look a LOT alike!!

For example:

Miss Julianne about a week ago

(Yes, she still looks just like her Daddy!)

Abigail, July 2009

Kinda hard to tell, huh?!

Abigail again, July 2009

Julianne's hair is still a little redder, and she's actually got 2 eyebrows instead of just 1!! ;)

My sweet, fat baby girl!

They don't look exactly alike, and they certainly have their own personalities, but they are really starting to favor more and more!

Nicknames and such...

Well, I guess I'll begin this post with another apology for taking so long to post anything! Things have been really busy around here--mostly in a really good way--and it's been tough to sit down and collect my thoughts for a few minutes! And with all this crazy weather we've had lately, we've been enjoying the last few days of nice weather OUTSIDE!! If it weren't for those stinkin' mosquitoes...UGH!! Anyhoo...

The girls, as usual, are keeping us on our toes!! Miss Abigail is just entirely too big for her britches!! I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do when she gets in school. There is really no telling what she will say and do. I wonder if there's a limit to how many times per day her teacher can call?? :) She is just too funny, and quick!! I wish I could write down all of the hilarious things she comes up with, because there is just no way I can remember everything!! She is a mess!!

And Miss Julianne is just growing like a weed!! She is almost 9 months old already--where has the time gone?! She still doesn't have a tooth in her head, but she is eating everything in sight!! She loves bacon, eggs, peas, red beans & rice, baked potatoes...and the list goes on!! My little piggy! And she is talking up a storm!! She's pretty much mastered "Da-da" and "Ma-ma", and she says "Hey!" all the time!! We've been pretty curious as to what she will call her big sister. If you know Abigail very well, you know she will tell you very quickly that her name is Abigail. She tolerates people calling her "Abbie" (though not her Daddy and me), but if you ask her if that's her name she will say, "No, I'm Abigail." She will also inform you that her sister's name is Julianne, not some shortened version of it! She's pretty funny about nicknames, that kid! Which is funny, because the last few days, Julianne has been saying, "Abba" when referring to her big sister. I asked Abigail tonight if it was okay if Julianne called her "Abba", and she said, "Yes, Julianne can call me that, but nobody else can!" We'll see if it sticks, but I'd be willing to bet Abigail will have Sister practicing saying her full name here pretty soon! And Julianne's a fast learner, so it may just work out!! Two smart girls we have around here, I tell ya! They are a mess, but they're mine and I love 'em to pieces!! :)

Bath-tizing!

It's been a little while since my last post, 'cause we've been a tad busy--and sick--around here. This weather has been crazy and has not helped things much. One day is raining and 80 degrees, the next it's near freezing. Can't catch a break! On top of that, all 4 of us had a nasty stomach bug a few weeks ago, which was special to say the least! All in all, though, things are going pretty well! We've got a lot going on, and hopefully some really great things are going to be happening soon! Don't mean to be so mysterious, but I just don't want to jinx anything! Your prayers are greatly appreciated during this time!

Before I forget, I have a sweet/funny Abigail story to tell! That kid is so smart (if I haven't already mentioned that) and she never misses a thing! I think she really thinks about things for awhile, because sometimes she'll just start talking about things that happened awhile back. It's like she ponders on it for awhile and tries to figure it out, and then she lets us in on what she's been processing. Here's a summary of our conversation tonight in the bathtub:

Abigail: "Momma, what about those boys and girls at church?? They had on their red dresses and they were taking their baths. We don't take baths with our dresses on!"

Me: "Well, baby, they weren't taking a bath, they were getting baptized. That means that they love Jesus and want to do what He says." (That was the best I could think of in a pinch.)

Abigail: "Right. They were getting bath-tized. That means you take a bath at church with Jesus."

Yep, that's what it means. :)

Oh, I love this kid. I don't know how I'll ever help her with her homework, because she's WAY smarter than me already. I am amazed every day!