Spring Photo shoot

For those of you who don't know, my brother, Doug, is a part-time professional photographer. I can always count on him to take great pictures of my girls. A few weeks ago we had pictures taken of them in their Easter dresses and a couple naked pics of Amelia (notice how their Easter dresses match... I couldn't resist!) Amelia is 6 months in the pictures and Mary is 3 yrs 1 month. Mary looks like such a big girl next to Amelia! We got about 70 really good pictures, but obviously I couldn't post all of then here, so I just chose a few of my favorites.

True Friends

Every parent hopes that their child will have friendship in their life. I have often wondered and worried about my girls. Will they have true friends or just friends who are nice to them because they are "different" or "special?" Will they be excited about inviting typical friends over to play or to birthday parties only to have them decline the invitation ? I am comforted by the knowledge that they will always have each other to call friend. I look at the other girls their ages and think about what it would be like if they were not delayed... how they would interact and play with them. Today Mary was invited to go to eat and play at McDonalds with a friend for her birthday. It was Mary, another little girl, and the birthday girl and Mary was the only one with a disability. Seeing the birthday girl light up with excitement when Mary came in brought joy to my soul! Although Mary did not interact the same and does not speak as well as the the other girls, she played and was included and loved by the other girls... her friends. Mary had a great time and when we left she said, "alia" (Mary's version of the birthday girl's name) and signed play. I asked her if she had fun and she said, "yeah," with excitement. Mary can not do a lot of the things that her peers do like play dress up or have long conversations, but her sweet friends accept her and consider her a good friend anyway. I am so grateful for those little girls who love her and are true friends despite her differences. I am so grateful for the parents of her peers who invite us on play-dates and to birthday parties. I dread the day when my sweet Mary comes crying to me because someone made fun of her or because someone doesn't want to be her friend because she is "different." I know that those days will come and that there will be many of them, until then I am so glad that she has wonderful girls who call her friend so willingly.

I've been tagged!

Where were you born? Atlanta, GA
Middle name: Anne
How old will you be this year? 29 in 2 1/2 weeks
Nicknames: Hemsley(maiden name), James, chip, fletch/fletcher, bunch/bunchkins
Are you taller than your mother or father? Father, no. Mother, just barely
Do you cry often during movies? I never used to, but having children has made me a big cry-baby
What is your biggest pet peeve? intolerance and leaving cold food (like milk) out for long periods of time
Favorite color: Green
Favorite foods: I love everything... except beans.
Favorite restaurants: I love eating out!! Dante's down the Hatch, Italian food, mexican food...
Favorite beverage: hmmm not sure
Favorite cold cereal: Special K with yogurt and berries and Captain Crunch, which I never buy anymore :(
Favorite smells: Jeremy... when he is clean... I love to smell his shirts when he is gone and I am missing him.
Favorite time of day: When Jeremy gets home
What brand of shampoo/conditioner do you use? Suave
Favorite make-up products? Physicians Formula's new organic mak-up and arbonne
How many pillows do you sleep with? 1
Do you play an instrument? nope
Have you ever been skinny dipping? yes, shhhh...
Did you do any sports in High School? hmmm no, unless flirting is a sport.
What was the last movie you saw in the theater? 27 dresses
What is your favorite article of clothing? any good pair of jeans that fits and makes me look thin and I love cumfy cute, casual skirts.
What is your dream vacation? Europe... seeing all of the museums and cathedrals that I learned about in Art History.
What was your first impression of your spouse? I new we were meant to be together the day we met... he was a really cute 19 yr old army boy, too!!
If you were an animal what would you be? not sure, maybe a cat so I could actually sleep.
What is your favorite "me- time" activity? drawing/painting, watching good movies
Favorite TV shows: design shows, Project Runway
What is your dream car? used to be a Porsche 911 convertable... now I really want a 2008 Toyota Sienna.
What is one of your weaknesses? Laundry, being wrong
What do you fix for dinner when there's nothing to fix? spaghetti or soup and sandwhiches
If you could live in a different decade/era which one would it be? maybe the roaring 20's
Do you consider yourself outgoing? I used to be extremely shy, but have become more outgoing as I get older
What is something you are constantly working on? (Jaime wrote this, but it describes me perfectly so I am keeping it.) TRYING to keep house clean and get control/balance in life
Any hidden talents? Not sure... I am trying to write a book, so I don't know if that counts.
What is a word or phrase you overuse? you're driving me crazy!! (Again... Jaime I'm stealing this one, too!)
What was the hardest thing that happened to you this past year? Having 2 kids with special needs
What is the best thing that happened to you this past year? Having Amelia
What is one thing you hope to accomplish this year? Lose weight, buy a bigger house or expand our house.
The best piece of advice you learned this past year? I learn new lessons everyday. One big one...Look at everything with an eternal perspective.
Who are the people you are going to tag to do this survey? I tag Rebecca
At the end of the survey post a picture of you that was taken within the last week! Sorry, don't have one.

Proud to Serve...

Most of you know that Army Reserves and ROTC run our life... well Jeremy's life. You hear me complain about it all the time. About how Jeremy is always staying late or out of town and when he is home he is putting together training labs or making sure his soldiers are up to speed. What I don't say enough is how proud I am. I am proud that he is a member of the United States Military. He is a great soldier and is an honorable man who has served his country for 10 years. He served actively in the Army for 4 years and in the Army Reserves for 6. He spent 14 months in South Korea and will most likely spend many more months in the future oversees. I am so proud of his service to this great country and to all of those who serve. Here are some pictures of Jeremy's latest adventure... Fort Benning, GA...

Baking...

First off, let me start by saying that I am a horrible baker! I am a good cook, but I don't have the patience for all of the measuring and the mess that comes with baking. Mary and I decided to bake cookies... from scratch. Well everything seemed to go well. We made a mess of course, but doing anything in the kitchen with a toddler usually ends up messy. So I put the cookies on a pan and put them in the oven. They looked and smelled good. Well, as soon as I took them out my big, fluffy cookies melted to a pool on the pan.

I couldn't even get them up. They were crusted to the cookie sheet and I had to scrape them off with a knife after they cooled!! Hmmm... what did we leave out? Not enough Flower? Well, luckily Jeremy is an excellent baker and worked his magic with the remaining batter and we ended up with a few descent cookies. Needless to say Mary and I will be baking from a premade mix next time or maybe she'll be baking with daddy! Atleast we had fun making them!

The Best Valentine's Gift EVER!!

We were all sick on Valentine's Day this year and I wasn't expecting much. Usually Jeremy and I do something small like make cards or have a candlelit dinner at home with out the kids. We usually don't have much money to spend and try and think of romantic and creative gifts. Well this year Jeremy gave me the best Valentine's Day gift ever!! He came home from school (around 7pm as usual) and handed me a piece of paper that had been printed off of the computer. "Here's your gift," he said. A coupon for the 2 1/2 hour "Princess" spa treatment at a local spa!!! What a wonderful man I have!!!!

6 Months Old Already!!??

Wow! I can't believe it! As of Sunday Feb. 10th my little Amelia is half a year old! Time sure does fly! I had no idea how much she would touch my life and what a blessing she would be to our family, especially to Mary! She has a very sweet spirit and is so loving. You can feel it in her eyes and in her smile! She amazed me every day with her accomplishments. She is beginning to try and sit on her own. For most typical kids sitting around 6 months is pretty average, but it is a big accomplishment for my little Amelia. She has been trying to sit on my lap unnassisted for a week or so. Today I decided to try and give her a little help by putting the boppy pillow around her and guess what?... She sat all by herself 4 times in a row. She sat long enough for me to get the camera and take some pictures. I am so proud of her!! Although she is not officially getting physical therapy yet, playing with Mary is a pretty good work out! Oh and her hair is finally starting to fill in! Yay! I love her so much!