...

I have 4 loads of laundry to fold, clothes to iron, a test to study for, and a house to straighten, but I have something on my heart that I just have to get off because it won't leave me alone until I do.  As I was putting Julianne to bed tonight, I was struck by how unbelievably, undeservedly blessed I am...and how much I take for granted all that I've been blessed with.  Usually, I put my baby girl to bed with a kiss and an "I love you", shut the door and she goes on to sleep pretty fast.  Tonight, I sat by her bed and stroked her red hair and prayed over her, thanking God for this feisty, smart, independent, fearless, beautiful gift He has given me.  I don't do that nearly often enough.  Shame on me for that.  How dare I be so quick to forget how fortunate and blessed I am.  My children are HEALTHY.  Thank You, Lord.  My children are WHOLE.  Thank You, Lord.  My children are HERE.  Oh, Thank You, Lord.  Thank You.  Please forgive me for taking this for granted for so long.  I promise to try and do better.  If you are reading this, please pray with me for Michelle and James, DeAndrea and Aaron, and Kayla and Jason.  Within the last year, they have all suffered a loss that no one should ever have to bear, and my heart is so heavy for each of them tonight. There are other friends and family that have suffered this same loss, or a similar one, and I hurt for them as well.  May I never get so caught up in the stress and busyness of every day life that I forget how incredibly blessed I am.  

Precious Memories

I have really been missing Grannie Doris lately.  I just love that lady.  I still catch myself picking up the phone to call and check on her, or wanting to fix her a plate or bring her supper.  It's hard to believe she's gone, but she's still with us in so many ways.  Grannie loved ALL of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren so much.  She loved to love on those babies, big and small, and they all loved her back.  Grannie was one of the few people that Julianne would tolerate kissing and loving on her.  Julianne never once fussed when Grannie would hold her, which made Grannie so proud!  They had a special bond, as did she and Abigail.

The sweetest thing happened this morning on the way to church.

We were cruising along listening to the radio, and the girls were talking and playing in the back seat.  "Precious Memories" came on, which always makes me think of Grannie.  I started to sing along but had to stop and wipe my eyes when I heard Julianne singing loudly from the back seat.  I turned to look at her and she just smiled so sweet and kept singing and swaying.  She was singing for her Grannie.  My heart filled up so much it started running out of my eyes.  She may be too little to remember much about Grannie, but she has her in her heart, which is the most important thing. 

Christmas 2012, Part 1

It's Christmastime!  

Merry Christmas to all of you awesome people who take the time out to read our little blog!!  I hope and pray that you have been blessed this Christmas season, and that you are able to rejoice in celebrating Jesus' birthday with your family and friends!  We have been celebrating Christmas for the past few days, and we're not even done yet!!  We had our Hennigan Christmas party on Saturday, and had quite the turnout!  Sunday evening, we celebrated with the Marks' and watched 4 beautiful girls enjoy their gifts!  Santa came Sunday night, so the girls were so excited to open their presents Monday morning!  We hosted the annual Slaydon Christmas Eve gathering last night, and had a houseful of family eating and visiting!  Justin had to work today, but the girls and I headed to DeQuincy ahead of the storm and had a great time with my Momma's side of the family!  Next weekend, we'll have Christmas at Nana and PawPaw's, and there's sure to be lots of good food and presents there as well!  Here are a few pics from the last few days.  I think I've uploaded almost 200, but I haven't even looked at all of them yet!  (I'm loving my new camera!)  

No Hennigan Christmas is complete without petting the donkeys...:)

I'm pretty sure Julianne was bumming some grub off of Papa!

My sweet girls helping each other unwrap their presents!

Sweet cousins! 

I'll post more pics later when I get a chance.  For now, my big girl and I are gonna snuggle up in bed and watch cartoons til we fall asleep!  It's been a wonderful Christmas, and my heart is so full, not because of any gifts under the tree, but because of the love of my Jesus and my family.  

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!  

Merry Christmas from the Slaydons!

The Christmas festivities have officially begun around our little neck of the woods! We celebrated with the Hennigans yesterday, today we celebrate with the Marks', Santa comes in the morning and then tomorrow night is the big Slaydon Christmas Eve gathering.  Justin works Christmas Day this year ( :( ), so after we get him off to work, we'll be headed to DeQuincy, then next Saturday, we'll celebrate again with the Slaydons!  (Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it!)  Both girls fell asleep EARLY last night on the way home from PawPaw Jerry's, and miraculously, they're still sleeping!! Guess all that playing, singing, eating, rapping, dancing, and donkey petting really wore them out!!  Since obviously the next few days are going to be super busy, here's a few pics of Christmas so far: 

Trimming the tree!

Christmas in the Courtyard in Merryville!

Just chillin' with Frosty!

My loves!!

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.