It was a rough week for sure, but Lucy is on the mend and getting back to her crazy little self.
We were having a little trouble getting her to eat, but tonight her supper consisited of mac & cheese AND some of Daddy's pancakes...she'll be back to her fluffy self in no time. And how do I know for sure she's feeling like herself again?
Her desire for dressing as mismatched as possible is back. Yep, my friends, Lucy is back!
Thankfully, by this evening (after 48 hours of it), she has perked up a little bit. I'm not saying we're totally over it, but it does seem like she is definitely on the mend. If you question if I love this girl or not, the answer is in the fact that I gave her my prized Sonic diet coke with 2 shots of vanilla and no ice. I was savoring this drink since it has been a few days since I last had one...it was going to last me all evening. However, when Lucy climbed up on a stool at the kitchen counter and asked if she could have the rest of my drink...that she knew it would make her feel better, how could I say no?
I've been sort of anxious this week...anxious for Lucy to get better, anxious whether or not Macy will get it, anxious about the laundry piling up, anxious for some nice pretty weather...just anxious about a lot of things. Tonight, I pulled out my violin and just played my heart out for about an hour. While all the things that have been making me feel anxious are still staring me in the face, I feel better.
Much better.
I think I consumed this entire bag of chocolate covered heart-shaped pretzles (how cute are they??). Wal-Mart rocked it out on their Valentine's section this year.
And if I remember correctly, I think I may have been lucky enough to have gotten not one, but two diet cokes with double shots of vanilla and no ice =)
I wanted to thank ya'll for your sweet, sweet comments left on my post regarding criticism. I really appreciate your uplifting words. I feel so unworthy of the things you said. While I do try really hard at being the best Christian, wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend that I can be...I fall short. Way short. I am amazed every single day at the grace and love that God my Father shows me, and I truly find comfort in it during times of insecurity and uncertainty...you know...times where the "s-word" sneaks into my life (and by the "s-word" I am talking about "stress"). So please know that you lifted my spirits and made my heart happy with your sweet comments...I even got some encouraging e-mails and texts as a result of that post that made my heart do a little happy dance. Ya'll are like sprinkles on my cupcake of life. 
We did get in the kitchen and make some Valentine's cupcakes over our long weekend. We ended up making them on President's Day (the Monday after Valentine's Day) since Macy was out of school, but nevertheless, we got some made...we were still in the Valentine's mood.
I found the cutest heart sprinkles at Wal-Mart this year. And I found the cutest little girls to use them...
They wanted to do the icing like their Mama does it.
Love these sweet little chubby hands...
Here they are a little closer, because ya'll know I love a closeup =)
Macy's class had a field trip on Thursday to the American Village in Montevallo. It was super fun. The kids all rode a bus, while the Mommies (and Lucy) carpooled. The kids had a blast, the Mommies had a blast...it all made for a super fun and interesting day. I'll spare you of all of the details, but I'll just say that my friend Cindy is a real trooper and a lot of fun to get lost with =)
Macy and Lucy had mouse ears during the reading of a story...they got to act out the book. I cannot for the life of me remember what the name of that book was, but it was really cute...about a mouse going to the White House.
This picture cracks me up (and I bet my sister will laugh at it too). I don't know which one is funnier, Macy being a mouse or the expression on Lucy's face...
As I was downloading these pictures, I was noticing how extremely pale I looked in all of them. Could have been the long trip, the fact that I was starving, or that I was nauseated the entire day. Regardless, we had tons of fun! I even was hushed at one point by George Washington (not THE George Washington, but a man dressed up portraying him). I got a little delirious and giggly at one point during one of the productions.
My sister came home this past weekend to celebrate my Dad's and my brother's birthdays. My sister-in-law had gotten the cutest cake made...a stump with a fondant squirrel (sp?) and acorns on it. (I would love to pass on the name of the girl who did the cake, but she is my sister-in-law's cousin and is only doing cakes for family right now).
Here are a couple of attempts of trying to get a picture of all the grandkids with the birthday boys...
It is no easy task!
By the end of the weekend, my laundry room was in shambles. Clothes needing to be folded, clothes needing to be washed then folded, and lots (LOTS!) of ironing needing to be done. While I have gotten most of the clothes cleaned and folded and put away, I am in desperate need of doing a bunch of ironing. Thought I would share a picture of how things really are at my house...
Lucy has been asleep since 6:30 tonight. It is late now, and she is showing no signs of waking up. I have this weird feeling that she is sick, but she doesn't have fever that I can tell. Just Mommy intuition, I guess.
I sure hope I am wrong.
I was a wee bit busy with cookie orders for return customers and some new customers. I even had one drive all the way from Texas just to have Cookie Mama cookies at her little boys' birthday party. O.k., o.k., she didn't drive all the way from Texas just to get cookies...the party was planned here anyway...but I just thought I would throw that in for fun =) 
I found this book at Books-A-Million and got it for the girls. They have enjoyed reading it, and it really does teach some sweet little lessons on love. My cookie business really does take place mostly at night when the girls have gone to bed. When this all got started, it was all in fun to make a little extra spending money for Macy and Lucy. I had been a cost accountant at a nearby chemical plant and was used to having my "own" money. I was determined, and still am, that it will not get in the way other commitments...like I will not put cookies before church, volunteering at Macy's school, anything Lucy and I might have planned during the day, or any other family activity. I did the majority of my cookies this week at night, however there were a couple of days where I did spend in the kitchen...with my little sidekick right beside me. She loves to bring coloring books and markers into the kitchen and just play in the floor. There was one night where Lucy just wouldn't go to sleep without me right there with her. So, bless her little heart, she brought a pillow and her blankets into the kitchen, laid in the middle of the floor, and fell fast asleep. That's how much she loves sleeping with her Mommy =)
We went to Mother Goose's Valentine's Tea Party on Thursday. This is Mother Goose's annual tea party where she teaches proper ettiquete to all the little children who come...it is always so much fun. My Daddy usually takes Lucy to Mother Goose, however, this is one of the times I am "allowed" to go.
And don't you remember Valentine's parties at school? Who didn't love those?? I remember Valentine's Day being one of my very favorite days when I was little. All the pink, candy, hearts, sugar...and making your own Valentine's box...oh what fun. I bought the cutest owl valentine cards for Macy to give out to her classmates off of etsy...I don't have a picture of them, but they were super cute. They were so easy to do...I purchased them, then the seller sent them to me in a downloadable file, so I could print them as many times as I needed to. Super cool!
Here is Macy hamming it up at her Valentine's Party...
Doughnuts, cookies, cheese puffs, and candy galore make for some pretty crazy 2nd graders!
Thanks to my picture loving friend, Cindy (who reads my blog), I got some pictures of the girls and me at the party. 
I know you are all dying to know if I got my Christmas decorations put away before Valentine's...well...actually...no. I did not. Jason did get my big bow and mesh garland taken down from around my front door today. The sweet lady at church who complimented my red Valentine's bow on my mailbox did ask Jason if it had gotten stolen...she noticed it was gone...I thought that was pretty funny =) I told her I took it off one day when I had driven my car from the garage to the end of my driveway...I was having a lazy day...because my driveway is NOT that long.
We took a little trip over to Starkville today and ate at Chik-Fil-A on MSU's campus. Jason went to MSU, so the girls thought it was neat to see. They don't quite get the whole "college" thing. They kept asking where the principal's office was.
I really almost gave up on blogging this week. I seriously considered deleting the whole thing. I have been a little frustrated lately with "getting it all done." You, as mothers or just women in general, know what I mean. Sometimes we are stretched way too thin. A friend of mine said to me just this week that she felt like a wad of silly-putty that was being stretched and pulled and twisted and stretched some more. She felt like she was being pulled in a million directions. I totally understood what she was saying. I have also had some negative criticism that has resulted from some of my blog posts lately. There is nothing that drives me crazier than someone criticizing others. Now let me set it straight that I am not perfect, and believe me, I have done my share of criticizing others. Way too much, in fact. I spent years being very critical of others, thinking that if they did something differently than I did it or had a different opinion than I, well, they were just crazy. I have come to the conclusion, though, after spending months and months in prayer about this very matter, that criticism is wrong. It gets you nowhere. Sure, it might offer you a little comfort or a momentary feeling of pride, but it doesn't last. And being critical is a miserable way of living...I know that for a fact. It wasn't until I laid it at the feet of the Lord and made some major changes in my life that I realized how obsurd it was...it had come inbetween me and a lot of people that I love...and it wasn't worth it. So in saying all of that...my blog is for me. I do realize that there are people out there that read my blog. But if my blog offends you in any way or causes you to be critical of me, please do not read it. This blog has become a scrapbook / journal / record of our life for me...and so I write what I want to write. I will sometimes write of stuggles that I may have...and perhaps I might give a little hope or a little comfort to someone out there who might be going through the same type of thing. Sometimes ya'll want to know where I got one of the girls' oufits or tell me you did a craft with your kids like one I did...and that just makes me smile! I have enjoyed blogging so much, and I refuse to let a little criticism get me down. Thank you to my sweet blogger friends and friends in-real-life who have called me or e-mailed me to make sure I was alright, since I haven't blogged in several days. Ya'll make it all worth it =)
Because Miss Lucy finally got to go back to church. She was up with the sun this morning, ready to go. I shared with our Sunday School class about what happened in the doctor's office the day she was so sick...I don't think I have shared it with you, so let me. Lucy's fever was so very high, and she felt plain awful. She could hardly hold her head up and was laying on me like a little rag doll. When the doctor came in the room after the results from her bloodwork were finished, she said "Lucy is a very sick little girl." Lucy lifted her little head off of my body and said, "Can I still go to church, Mommy?" Oh, this touched my heart so deeply and tugged at my heartstrings...real tight. We've certainly been through some "stuff" over the past few months, or rather few years...we've experienced some very low places in our spiritual walk, have climbed some tough mountains, and are now at a such an awesome place to further our walk with the Lord. These valleys and rough spots have affected our family at varying degrees, and it is so nice now to experience a fullness of joy as one...a family of 4 serving our Lord Jesus Christ...together...all in one place...all on the same page. Lucy was sitting on the edge of her seat this morning, and when it was announced that it was time for Children's Church, that little girl was off faster than the words were coming out of our pastor's mouth.
While Macy was all snuggled up in her blanket on the couch this afternoon, I had the pleasure of getting to meet my friend, Jennifer Lehner's little girl, Scarlett Beatrice. The Lehner family adopted this precious child from Korea...she was born in February of last year, and arrived to their family a few weeks ago. She is absolutely darling...you just want to squeeze her!! Check out those cheeks...stuffed full with a Cookie Mama cookie =)
I think I could eat her!
Check out Jennifer's blog...Korea With Love (and sorry for the goofy look on my face...we were getting tickled at the girl taking the picture trying to get Scarlett to look at the camera).
So it is Super Bowl night...we were very excited about the game, but so torn as to who to pull for. For us, it really didn't matter who won...we really like both of these teams. I'm one of those who gets more into the commercials than the game. 
Let me tell you how my husband rocks...not only does he go to Wal-Mart at 5:00 in the morning to make sure Macy has tubes of toothpaste to take to school for their Haiti relief project...he makes pancakes...DURING the Super Bowl! I was sure I would have to come up with something for supper...but oh no...he wouldn't want to disappoint his girls...and he didn't!
Our small group from Sunday School went bowling this afternoon...and what a BLAST we had! We finished Upward this morning and headed straight to the bowling lanes. These had to have been the fanciest of bowling shoes ever. And if you think the girls' feet are cute in them...you should have seen Jason's...ha!
Let me tell you...there is no match to Lucy in bowling. She smoked us...ALL of us. We had 16 people in our group, including adults and children. Mark Williams was the only one who scored higher than Lucy. He's so nice, though, he gave her the win =)
She was on fire...one smokin' little 4 year old bowler. 
I think she's found her game!
