Misc. Activities

We had a hodge podge of activities this month. I took Sarah and Hannah to see the movie, "The Night At The Museum II". A local movie theater offered free movies every week during the summer months. So, I decided to give it a try with the girls. It was Hannah's first movie! She stayed busy the entire time munching on goldfish and cheerios. Thankfully, there were a few other babies enjoying the movie at the same time, so she wasn't the only not-so-quiet baby.
Mark and I celebrated our 7th anniversary (14 years including dating years - I always have to add that!) of being happily married by attending "The Phantom Opera" at The Fox Theater. We enjoyed a delicious dinner out at Benihana's before the show. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening out. I am so thankful for my husband who planned the whole evening out on his own. I told him I just wanted to dress-up and go out, so that's what we did! Thank you Babe'!
Hannah and I playing on the bed one morning!
Sarah and her friend Chloe playing dress-up while they were having a play-date.
The girls playing like brides and setting the table with a beautiful "tablecloth"!
Mark took part in a ribbon cutting for Dr. Jackson's dental office in downtown Atlanta on MLK Road - the heart of Atlanta. Mark's company, Seibert and Son, just finished the project so Dr. Jackson hosted a huge ceremony to celebrate.
Mark and I both were able to take part in the festivities to celebrate such an amazing accomplishment for the Dr. Jackson family. It was evidenced throughout their life that the Lord was definitely orchestrating all of the events which led up to this day! Yes, Mark is standing next to a Fox 5 News Anchor - Woo-Woo!!
I told you this was a conglomeration of miscellaneous events!
Mark and Sarah started a new project - very big project - a deck!
This is the beginning of the project - digging out the grass from around the patio.
Mark and Sarah wearing their matching "deck building t-shirts" as Sarah calls them. Mark is starting to dig the first footing for the deck. Sarah has been thoroughly excited about the whole process. She has been involved in every step from drawing a plan out on paper, to going to Home Depot with Daddy to buy supplies, and now to digging footings. I will post more pics along the way. Hopefully, we'll (Mark) will have it built in time for the cooler weather, so we can really enjoy it as a family.

If you know Hannah very well at all, you know she does not sit still for very long. So, I caught this snapshot during one of her idol moments. I think it was her first time sitting down in the girl's chair holding a book.

So, as you see this was a posting of playing catch up.

College Grad 2031

Our sweet little Hannah Joy turned one on July 7th. Of course, we had to have one year photos taken, but our wonderfully talented professional photographer (Kyle) and dear friends moved to Milledgeville last month. Which just so happens to be where Mark and I met and fell in love - OH - I know - sappy - right!!!! YES!!! I was more than eager to load up the mini-van and take a road trip to the old college town to visit our sweet friends and get some photos taken.

This photo was taken of Hannah sitting in front of the columns of Bell Hall, which is where I lived my first two years of college. Kyle wanted to set her on the front steps on Terrell Hall (next door to Bell), but I said it had to be in front of Bell. Any GC&SU alumni would totally agree with me! Oh my goodness memories were flooding my mind as I was on campus and driving through the town - so much fun!!! By the way, when I was living in Bell Hall it was totally non air conditioned! How in the world did I ever survive that???!!!!

This photo was taken of Hannah sitting on the beautiful lawn of front campus. Oh - so many hours were spent out there - studying of course!
Hannah's walking the path on front campus in front of "Chick-Chick" (Chick-fil-A). Many hours were spent walking back and forth on this path to and from classes. Do you see the benches in the background??? Ohhhh - the many hours Mark and I spent sitting on those benches just chatting it up! What in the world did we talk about - who knows - must have been good though!!!

As you can tell, I had the best time reliving old wonderful memories and taking the girls back with me to experience it! I am soooo looking forward to returning in the fall for Kyle to take photos of both girls on front campus. I just love the thought of having photos of our girls in the same places we spent hours chatting and YES - falling in love!!!!

Who knows - perhaps Hannah will be walking these same paths and sitting on the same benches during her college career and be a college grad in 2031????!!!! Sounds bizarre - 2031 -

In God's Hands

Family and Friends,

Mark and I have been blessed beyond measure with our two precious daughters. We are thoroughly enjoying being parents to Sarah and Hannah. We realize that our children are not ours, but they are God's children here for us to merely raise as for a short time to honor and glorify our heavenly Father.

We noticed when Sarah started walking she would not put her heels down, but instead she would tip-toe. As parents, we of course began to watch more closely and would remind her to put her heels down or walk flat. The constant reminders did not seem to work but would only frustrate her. When she was 3 years old, we took her to a pediatric orthopedic specialist who told us she was a habitual toe walker. He said she would most likely grow out of it, but to come back in one year, if she did not. So, another year went by, and she continued to literally tip-toe through life. We returned to another pediatric orthopedic specialist who recommended surgery to correct the problem. Of course, as parents we were stunned thinking - SURGERY - really??? We left the appointment in shock, and it took months of coming to grips with the idea of putting our little girl through such a traumatic ordeal, so we made an appointment with another pediatric orthopedic specialist who also recommended surgery. Over the course of both doctor visits, we were told she was unable to walk flat on her feet, because her tendon in the back of both legs are too tight, which cause her legs to hurt when she stands flat. So, even if she tries to stand flat, it is painful for her to do. Still we were uneasy and perplexed as what to do. We decided to let it sit for a while to ponder and pray. After much agonizing, pondering, praying, and discussing we have decided to go through with the surgery on December 27. We have been as open as we possibly can with Sarah (a 4 year-old) about the whole process. She is trusting her Mommy and Daddy to do what we think is best for her. However, she is adamant about not wanting to go through with it - to the point of begging us to forget about it and just not go to the hospital. We know the Lord is going to comfort her when we cannot and where we are not able HE will be covering her. So, on December 27, we will hand over our little girl to a doctor to perform what he calls on a "surgery scale" of one to ten - a .5. Although, the recovery process will be a little more intense: 2 weeks of non-walking casts, + 4 weeks of walking casts, and 6 more weeks of nighttime leg braces. We are asking you as our family and close friends to please be praying for Sarah to have peace, to be comforted, and healing to come through this procedure.
Here is the website about toe-walking in case you are interested: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1235248-overview

Now for Hannah! A little over a month ago, Hannah went through a sickness involving fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for about 10 days. The doctors were unsure as to what was causing all of this. The doctors were under the impression she had a really bad virus; however, she was not getting well. Finally, after 10 days of having a fever, loads and loads of laundering from the vomit and diarrhea, the doctor decided to test her urine. The afternoon of the urine test, the doctor called back with a positive urinary tract infection (UTI). The next day the culture was completely full of bacteria, so the doctor prescribed an antibiotic, which wiped it out. However, the doctor was concerned about Hannah being so young and getting a UTI. So, she had us go down to Scottish Rite Hospital for some tests: a sonogram and an x-ray. I took both girls with me for this venture, and they both were amazing! The only time I was not able to be with Hannah was during the time of the x-ray. I cried as I had to leave Hannah laying on the table with these strange people surrounding her wearing masks and using probing tubes. Sarah and I were on the other side of the door listening to Hannah sob, and poor Sarah had to watch me sob as well. Anyways, after the surgery the doctor informed me that Hannah's left kidney does not empty the urine out properly, instead the urine travels back up to the kidney, which is called Kidney Reflux. We went back to Hannah's pediatrician, Dr. George Stickeny (amazing doctor), who gave us the run down. There are 5 levels to Kidney Reflux: one being likely to outgrow and 5 needing surgery to correct. Hannah was diagnosed with level 2, which means will likely outgrow the condition in 2 to 3 years. We are treating it now with a daily antibiotic to prevent further UTI's. Each UTI causes kidney scarring and over time too much kidney scarring causes kidney damage. We are going to see a pediatric urologist next week as well just so we can closely monitor Hannah's situation. She will have the sonogram and x-ray procedure every 6 months to monitor her kidney reflux. Here is the website for Kidney Reflux in case you are interested: http://www.drgreene.com/azguide/vesicoureteral-reflux

Whew!!! I am tired after all of that - how about you??? We know the Lord is in control and our girls are in HIS hands of protection. We also know that we are immeasurably blessed by our Heavenly Father. Mark and I know that both of these conditions are very mild in comparison to so many other problems people are facing. So we don't want to sound like we are complaining, simply asking for your prayers for our girls. If you are reading this, we know you have a special place in your heart for our family and just want to share ourselves with you.

We look forward to what God is going to do with both of our girls!

Baby Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

After much pondering, Sarah and I decided for Hannah's first birthday party to be a "Baby Minnie Mouse" theme. We had so much fun planning it for her. I bought Hannah and Sarah coordinating Minnie Mouse (MM) outfits to wear for the party and MM ears - so cute! Sarah helped me plan everything from the cake to the games. She is such a little mommy!

So, in order to get everything prepared we had to get the grocery shopping done several days in advance.
Much to my friends and family's astonishment, I baked and decorated the MM cake. My friend, Rebecca has been my "cake lady" for several years, as well as Publix. However, I made Sarah's first birthday cake, so I wanted to make Hannah's as well. I found a picture of a MM cake on-line, so I copied it to the best of my ability. MM ended up being a little tan; however, she does live in Florida. The fondant bow was a little floppy, but it looked pretty descent.
The girls pre-party in their pj's after breakfast - before the chaos begins!
I made these MM ears for the mailbox for a little pizazz. I made them out of Styrofoam and just painted the foam after I cut the shape out. It took several layers of paint. Then, I just added a bow with wire and another wire around the bottom to keep it in place. I think it turned out pretty cute for our "925 Disney Drive" party.
Sarah set up a lemonade stand for the guests. Our church is raising money for orphans in Russia and Ukraine through the children having "lemon-aid" stands. The money will go to buy school supplies, birthday presents, and Christmas presents for the children. Sarah had a great time setting up the stand and passing out lemonade. Her cousin Trey helped her with it as well.
Here is the final presentation of the cake and cupcakes before they were indulged. My mother, Baba, offered to help, so I assigned her to the MM cupcakes. I was going to put little Twizzler bows on them as well; however, the bows did not stay put too well.
Here are the MM cupcakes on their display before the kiddos ate them up. She bought Oreo Cakesters, cut them half, and placed them on the top of each cupcake. They were delicious - thank you Baba!
I borrowed a MM plastic container from my mother, so I pondered what to do with it for the party. I came across a recipe for a Jello Fruit Mold, so I decided to give it a try. I think it turned out as a refreshing healthy snack.
This picture makes me giggle! Sarah, my niece Morgan, and Ellie are eating their lunch while Hannah snatches food from their plates. Hannah is thinking: "It's my birthday party, why is everyone else eating and not me?"
Our family photo before the girls got messy and wet.
The kids played water balloon toss. Hannah was the youngest child at her party, so I was gearing the games more toward the the other kids. So, Mark held Hannah for the water balloon toss. We didn't want her to be left out.
Sarah is chasing me around the yard with a water balloon!
Lucas enjoying the bucket of water after the game - much to Rebecca's disliking!
The kids are participating in a sponge race now.
Sarah and Ellie racing back to their teams!
I think this was my reaction to Noah falling into the baby pool full of water, which started a domino reaction - of course!
This is Hannah post-birthday cake. Silly Mommy forgot to put the precious MM ears on her for the candle lighting and birthday singing - oh well! She's precious anyway!
Sarah and Ellie playing dress-up post-party. They have always enjoyed playing princess dress-up. For some reason, Ellie seems to always end up in the Snow White dress????
Sarah and Ellie playing "spa" post-party. They wanted a manicure and pedicure! Like mother - like daughter!
Some more post-party fun! We busted out the slip-n-slide for a whirl! Daddy demonstrating how it works!
Sarah finally getting brave to really give it a try.
Little Hannah appreciating the coolness of the water in the 90+ degree day.

We truly had a fabulous day celebrating Hannah's first birthday! I still have hard time realizing that my little baby isn't such a baby-baby anymore. We are blessed beyond measure for our precious girls. I pray Hannah will always know she is loved by her Mommy and Daddy!
Happy Birthday my sweet Hannah Joy!!!

July 7, 2010

Today we celebrated Hannah's special day! It is hard to believe that my little baby is already one year old! Wow, yes, time does fly by when you're having fun! I am so very thankful for my sweet Hannah Joy who came into our lives weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces at 6:51 p.m. Her name truly fits her precious personality.
Our church was doing a week long event called Synergy where the church body works together to bring glory to God through missions. The church body had 15 various mission activities throughout the entire week. Mark took 2 days off of work to build a deck for a widow lady in Tucker, Ga. I took the girls to the Lawrenceville Coop to hand out food, do crafts, and play games with the kids.
I thought it was special that Hannah was able to spend her first birthday serving the Lord, even as a one year old. It was important to me for my girls, especially Sarah being 4 years old, to see what it's like to be a servant for the kingdom. I want her to grow up being able to see a need, see when one is hurting, and be comfortable enough to show God's love to the people around her.
She is helping a little girl make her door hanger craft. My desire for my girls is for them not to be so self-absorbed and think that everyone else lives like we do, but that there are people who are in need and lacking many of our everyday things we take for granted.
When we left the Coop, Sarah said, "That was fun mommy! Can we do it again?" I am going to try not to let this just be a one time thing, and make it become a family mission we do fairly often. Hopefully, I will be consistent about this - I need some accountability!
My sweet friend, Mrs. Marlene, was helping out at the coop as well. So, she entertained Hannah while I helped the children make crafts. She is such a selfless woman - love her dearly!

Hannah and Sarah sitting in the shade enjoying a little break and some cold refreshing H20.
Later that day, we all took Hannah to the pool for her birthday.
Daddy is trying to keep Hannah from crawling out of the pool - it's quite a challenge. She is on the move!
Mommy and her girls - "Quick Mark take the picture before Hannah jumps out of my lap!"

To think that I was in the hospital last year at this time cuddling with my little 7 pound 7 ounce baby girl, and now here we are one year later - not too much cuddling time anymore! We are so thankful for the Lord giving Hannah to us! Happy Birthday sweet Hannah Joy - we love you!!!

July The Fourth Weekend Celebration

One of Sarah's favorite things to do is to go grocery shopping with me, especially when there is a really cool grocery cart. We rarely go to the Kroger in Loganville, but when we do it is a special treat. It is a new Kroger with special "kid-size" grocery carts. So, Sarah loads up her "children" for the trip. On this particular visit, we were going for there special sale ($1.50/box) on "Honey Bunches of Oats" (our favorite cereal).
As a child, I remember having a blast preparing our golf-cart or bikes for the neighborhood Fourth of July parade. One year we put a huge inflatable whale on top of the golf-cart and a sign on it saying, "Have A Whale of A Fourth." Another year, my brother and I rode on the back of my dad's convertible. My mom made me a Statue of Liberty costume and my brother a Flag costume. I have very fond memories of this time of year. So, I wanted Sarah and Hannah to experience just a taste of it. After Mark got home from work on Friday, we loaded up the van and headed to Baba and Papa's house for the Fourth of July Celebration to begin.
We woke up early Saturday morning for the day's events to begin. Papa had already decorated the golf-cart, trailer, and red-flyer wagons. Yes, my father has farm animals in his backyard: bunnies, chickens, a rooster, and doves.
I am shocked that his neighbors have not called the authorities yet about his rooster, because it is an early riser!
The four of us on the back of the golf-cart.
Trey, Sarah, and Morgan ready for the parade to begin. Papa and Baba bought the grandkids matching outfits from Gymboree just for the festivities!!
Hannah wearing her coordinating Gymboree patriotic outfit!
The kids in position before we headed off to the pool for the parade to begin.
Here we are waiting for the parade to begin. We were lucky enough to be the first float. Not hard to do that when there were only 5 floats. The participation has lightened up a great deal since I was a kid. Our float won the "youngest participant" award, since we had Hannah on board.
After all of the parade festivities we all stayed at the pool for a neighborhood grill out. Mark, Sarah, Hannah, and Aunt Heather getting cooled off while waiting on the greased watermelon game.
Uncle Matt participated in the greased watermelon game. The lifeguard used Crisco to grease the watermelon and separated the age groups. Half the participants are on one side of the pool and half on the other side of the pool. Then, the watermelon was dropped in the middle of the deep end, and you have to get the watermelon to the opposite side of the pool. It makes for a great memory!

I am really glad we were able to drive down for the festivities! The girls, well Sarah, had a fabulous weekend of celebrating! Happy Fourth of July!!! I hope your 4th was a special one too!

Mark and I left the girls with my parents overnight, so we could go back to Atlanta to run the Peachtree Road Race on Sunday morning. We left home at 5:15 a.m., rode Marta to Buckhead for the race to begin. Mark started in wave C, and I started in wave F. We ran all the way to Piedmont Park 6.2 miles. I had an awesome experience and loved every minute of it - sounds bizarre I know. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the music along the way, the people lining the streets, and the water sprinklers. It was great fun experiencing the whole event with Mark. I found him afterward, and we walked around talking about how much we want to do it again next year while we were eating ice cream of course.