~He's speaking to my heart....

Yes, the big man upstairs is starting to show me his Grace once again, and I'm completely in awe...


I found baby Kayleigh though another blog My Charming Kids and found an instant connection. This baby is a miracle that she has lived so long and now as the fight is on for her life, I ask everyone to spare a few moments and drop to your knees and ask out good Lord to save her life... Miracles happen each and every day and I believe that today is one of those days where baby Kayleigh is going to live... God is bigger then any of this and makes things like this happen! Please tonight and every night say a prayer for baby Kayleigh and her beautiful family!

~snowman swap goodies & Trouble

So, because I am now addicted to this wonder world of blog swapping, I did it yet again! It's so fun to put together boxes to send off and then to receive one in return! I love love love it! So, this winter I signed up for a snowman swap and was so excited because snowman just simply bring me joy! I receive my box the other day from Suzee who sent me the most ADORABLE apron that she made! I must say it's my favorite thing in the box and I am so taking it to the lake for Christmas! The box was full of a whole bunch of other snowman goodies, including trinkets, hot cocoa, a cookie cutter! I love it! Thank you SO SO much Suzee!!!!

TROUBLE

Some other news to report on the Karley front- I've comfirmed that she is totally going to be a shopper. She emptied out my purse last night, thrilled that she could do it all on her own and ever so quietly so no one would have heard her, and once she was busted she had the biggest smile on her face and was she EVER so proud to bring me the $10 she found and then proceeded to crawl away from me ever so fast so I didn't take her money! So C-U-T-E!!! I wonder what she wants to buy?? Maybe I'll leave here and take trouble out shopping???

~Twas the night before tomorrow

And all through the house...

not a JJ was stirring.... (but he did lay out his clothes for the next day of school),

not a peep out of sissy- only a peek out of Ruby,
Not a wink out of Connor and cowboy bear all tucked in by his side,
and not even a hello from late night Mason (who just by chance is getting bigger and now only sleeping in his underwear!).

But as this mommy tiptoed to peek on Karley she found her wide eyed (a little shy of the camera flash) and ready to Roll....
So I grabbed her up, snuggled her into my shoulder, blankie and all, and this mommy shouted with glee "Now sleep away, sleep away sleep away ALL!!"

~I'm honored

My friend Loraine who I met through a FABULOUS blog swap nominated ME for a blog award! I never ever thought my little ol family update blog would get an award and I must say I am more than flattered! Thank you so much Loraine!
“This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

So now It's my turn to give out some blog awards.... How fun!!! I choose:

Crafty Rachel - because i love what she does around her home and how she keeps it all together with 5 kids.... I wanna be more like her!
Full of Life Maria - This is my girl friend who goes way back- well not like childhood back, but far enough back that I'm proud to still be in touch with her! She, in fact, is the one who turned me onto blogging! I love it!
Baby Oliver grows and grows - this is jason's cousins' blog who had her baby, oliver, premie, and i just LOVE LOVE LOVE watching him grow!!!
I don't know her Bridget - but i totally stock her blog- she in SUPER woman and of course i so wish i could be as creative as she is! and maybe someday we'll be buddies????

I know it say's I have to nominate 8 people- but i can't because I Think these 4 and my friend Loraine are simply fabulous bloggers and I love their blogs!!!

Happy award day ladies!!!

~Baby it's cold outside!!

Winter us here- yep, it's here and baby it's cold outside. And actually I love it! It feels more and more like Christmas everyday and it gets me more and more ready for this beautiful holiday! Is it cold where you are and are you enjoying this blustery cold? It's -11F here BUT it feels like -32 with the wind chill! Wow!! There is not playing out in the cold today like we did on this day:

Today is just dark and blizzardly and COLD!!!!

~struggling with immunizations

So- I lied, I called and cancelled Karley's 2nd flu shot- i told them she was sick- she wasn't. But I'm so nervous about these needles now that I have started research. In fact I wish that I had never gotten any immunizations for my children in the way I did.... actually I wish I had spaced them out a lot more. There is NO NEED to inject 3 or more into a little tiny child at one time. So- she didn't get her 2nd flu shot, nor is she going to. And then at 1 year a whole new bout of immunizations come up- and ya know what? I'm not doing them at 1 year either. I am so afraid to get her the MMR vaccine- with all the controversey that surrounds it. And why in the world should I make her get 1 needed with all 2 at once on top of more of them. Anyway- in the mean time I'm working on becomming better educated on the matter.
Just so you understand, I'm not saying I'm never going to get my kid immunized again- but I think it can wait until she is further developed and her tiny little perfect body can handle all those yuckie in there to make her be healthy in the long run.
In fact I really have an issue with the HPV vaccine and don't intend on giving it to any of my girls.. UGH I don't know. Anyway- if any of you are WELL EDUCATED on this matter- please post or e-mail me alexaappel AT yahoo {DOT}com. I need all the materials I can get to make a perfect decision regarding my family!

~The weight on my shoulders.....

Someday's I just really feel like the world is out to get me down, not that anything in particular is wrong, but just that things aren't right. I often find myself reading other blog and wishing my life was much more in order like theirs. I wish that my children we're always well behaved and I never ever once had to riase my voice at them. And what the heck would it be like if my dogs never barked like wild coyotes when someone arrived at the door. Maybe once in a while we'd be able to step back into the olden days where people really cared and helped each other out, huh? What would that be like? Why isn't there a dishwasher that's invented that loads for me? What if there were never any disagreements in marriages/life... what would life be like? Then I come to remember that there are some people out there... like this woman who attend my church who has brain cancer and just had a baby c-section 2 months early (3lbs) and is on her death bed.... who would love to live my life, as frustrated as I get with things she would trade me places anyday. I somethings think I'd love to be in her shoes too... But really when the weight of the world sits on my shoulders there is no other place I'de be then right here in the arms of the one I love! (** and to just keep remembering that!)

~He loves me

I always knew that he loved me... but as time goes on the moments we have to share alone together are always few and far between- esp. those REALLY special moments. Because Jason and I share a unique and special bond I think we know how much to cherish our marriage and know that it could be over without a moments notice. This is a little story about my first EVER limo ride:

A friend had called up and informed me that this ladies club she is part of had a cancellation for thier monday night Christmas celebration and asked if I was willing to come. After consulting Jason and getting permission I decided it would be fun. Besides there is this one girl who was going to be there who I really wanted to get to know better and share my "story" with. My friend who invited me, Tanya, said it was a really fancy dinner and that they'd all pitched together and rented a limo to pick us all up and to bring us home after a few'girlie' drinks. I was excited. Never in my whole life had i driven in a limo! My SIL was in town and was helping me out with the kids until jason arrived home to take over. She was actually more excited then me when the Limo arrived to pick me up... She was following me out in her pj's with her camera in tow (kind of embarrasing me in front of a whole ton of girlie friends- i felt like she was my mom taking me to school in her bath robe and slippers) and took this shot before I hopped in for my night out on the town:

I then casually sat down on one of the seats and said a little hello to all of the ladies that were supposed to be sitting in there joining me for dinner! To my utter surprise there was NO ladies in there at all- and this is what I saw:

My gorgeous hubby sitting in there looking all sexied out holding a dozen BEAUTIFUL red roses! ** note my face in the above photo- I was SHOCKED (to say the least) and couldn't beleive that he got this one past me!!! I think I said "What are you doing here? Tanya was in on this??"
The above photo is the picture that was snapped as we were getting ready to take off (my SIL took this picture with tears in her eyes- she couldn't believe that they'd pulled it off!!!) Notice my face? I'm still totally stunned!! This is us as we arrived home from out very romantic dinner and hour long limo ride drinking wine and looking at all the fabulous Christmas lights around town! It was so fun and so appreciated! I know for sure that I am absolutely loved!!
** does anyone want my husband to e-mail your husband to get some insider tips as how to pull one of these off for YOU???

~ i love to SWAP!

Have a EVER been busy- but a good busy. I'm afraid it's catching up with me a little bit tho and would really love for my life to slow down some! But, alas, it isn't going to so I'll just sit back and enjoy this lovely ride I'm on! Speaking of rides Hanna sent me the dandest cutest most lovely ornaments! Back in October I signed up for Julie's secrest ornament swap and have received mine! The great thing is- I didn't only get 1 ornament I for 2! I absolutely adore then and think they look fabulous on my tree! I love how the little feet dangle below. Thanks so much Hanna and I wish your fabulous family a very Merry Christmas!!

Oh ya, Aubrey has received the ornament that I sent to her! I was so excited she got her's in time for Christmas and that it was her first ever package from Canada! Merry Christmas Aubrey and a very Happy New Year too (all the way from Canada!).

Keeping with the spirit anyway, the kids and I went candy wild last night and decorated out gingerbread house- isn't it LOVELY???