The Zoo and Disney on Ice

A few months ago I got an email from Disney letting me know that Disney on Ice was coming to Little Rock in May, and I could buy tickets before they went on sale to the public. Me and Disney are tight like that. Of course I jumped on that opportunity seeing as how Livy LOVED the show last year. 

We had also been telling her since Charlotte was born that one day when the weather was nice we'd take her to the zoo. The entire month of April was slam packed with things to do filling up every weekend on our calendar. The first chance we had to go to the zoo was the same weekend as Disney on Ice, and since we'd already be in Little Rock, we decided to make a weekend of it.

Leading up to last weekend, Drew had been working extremely long days so it was the perfect time for him to take a day off. It also just so happened to be Mother's Day weekend... and what better gift for me than to spend some time with my family on a little getaway?!

We left early Friday morning and headed to Little Rock. We had lunch at All Aboard and then hit the zoo. The weather was perfect! It was cloudy and had been threatening rain all morning, but never did. It wasn't hot and it wasn't cold... it was just a perfect day for the zoo!

 

 The zoo proved to be too much for this one to handle.

 Livy loved these silly things. We had to take pictures at every single one.

After the zoo, we made our way over to the hotel right at check-in time. We had just enough time to splash around in the pool before we needed to get ready for Disney on Ice. We stayed at Comfort Suites and it was super nice. I could tell it was brand new. So clean! The indoor pool even had a "splash park" which was the whole reason we chose the hotel, but it was a little too cold for Livy to play in. She did love swimming with her daddy in the pool though.

 Crazy8 had a "buy 1 get 1 for 88¢" sale. Seeing them match in their swimsuits was totally worth that 88¢!

 The water was a little too cold for Miss Charlotte, so we hung out on the side of the pool and watched Daddy and Livy Lou swim.

Then we got dressed, went to Samurai for some sushi, and went to Disney on Ice, or Disney World as Livy called it. She sat between us with her hand over her mouth in amazement for about 90% of the show. I think Drew and I watched her more than the actual show so we could see her reaction to everything. It was priceless. She was definitely in her element as she watched all of the princesses sing and skate around. 

We ended the evening with ice cream from Cold Stone and then enjoyed breakfast at Cracker Barrel before going home the next morning. We had such a fun time. I can't wait for our next getaway!

This Mother's Day

All I ever wanted to be was a mom. And a wife, too, but that's a given. I've always wanted a big family. Every time I would day dream about my future family I always imagined having several kids. So when we struggled through infertility after Olivia, my heart was just broken fearing that what I've always wanted may be out of my reach.

Infertility is one of the most heart wrenching things a couple can experience. It's out of your control. Even when you try to take control, it doesn't guarantee you success. We tried for 23 months to get pregnant after Olivia. 23. That's 23 negative pregnancy tests for a normal person, and about 148 negative tests for me. I always tested too early and way too much! Those 23 months consisted of 2 different clinics, 4 different doctors, thousands of miles traveled, several different medicines/steroids/booster shots, lots of ultrasounds, countless blood work, 2 double IUIs, and a miscarriage.

On May 12, 2013, Mother's Day, we were scheduled to go in for another IUI. I remember all the nurses telling me that morning that it would work this time... this was it, because it was Mother's Day. I had my doubts but I was hopeful! And guess what?

It worked.

All I thought about today was how thankful I am for my two daughters. I remember so vividly what it's like to wonder if I'll ever have another baby, and my heart aches for my friends that are still struggling through it. Every time I glanced at Charlotte today, on this Mother's Day, I smiled.


It's so hard to accept it while we're in the midst of a struggle, whether it's infertility or something else, but I always clung to this verse. Even when I didn't really want to. One morning I woke up and checked my emails and found this devotional from Drew. It was exactly what I needed to hear. It applied then and it still applies now, but to different aspects of my life. Funny how God's Word can do that!

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord 

-Psalm 27:14

Strength And Encouragement

The blind poet John Milton, a devout Christian, famously observed: "they also serve who only stand and wait." This kind of service-the service of patiently waiting on God's timing, on God's direction, on God's plan-can be the most difficult and grueling to render to God.

We are tempted, in a time of uncertainty or calamity, to rush to our own set of solutions; we might even feel irresponsible to simply wait prayerfully for the Lord to give clear direction. And yet we must.

Twice the command is repeated in this single verse: wait. Our answers are usually not the right answers. Our instincts cannot be trusted. Our hurried assessment will doubtless yield an inadequate response. So, dear believer, wait.

Wait on the Lord because he will strengthen your heart. He will answer your prayers. He will give the direction you need. He will send the help you require. In his own good time and in his right way, God will come to you when you wait on him.

So be of good courage! Do not despair because the solution has not presented itself yet. Do not presume that God will not keep his appointments. He has promised to strengthen you, so wait, I say, on the Lord.

So today I thank God!

I thank Him for bringing me through the struggle.

I thank Him for blessing me with a faithful husband who stands strong even when I have doubts.

I thank Him for my beautiful, sweet, kind-hearted, imaginative Olivia Ellis.

And I thank Him for my adorable, snuggly, precious little Charlotte Emily who I thought I would never have.

This has been a wonderful Mother's Day!

Blue's Clues

When I was younger, my sister LOVED Blue's Clues. At the time, I was about 9 years old and obviously too mature for a silly show like that. I constantly made fun it (and maybe Lori, too, for liking the show). Anyway... I'm here to make a public apology. I'm sorry for every slandering, degrading remark I ever made about the show, because...


Blue's Clues is awesome.


Really. It is incredibly educational! That has quickly become Olivia's new favorite show. Here are some things that Livy has picked up from the show:


"Hey Mom, can you make paella? It's a Mexican dish that Periwinkle brought to the neighborhood festival. A festival is just like an outside party."


"Charlotte is blinking her eyes! That means she's moistening her eyeballs to keep them wet and clean."


"Dad, did you know that inside your ear you have an eardrum?"
"Ooo, can I play it? Like a drum?"
"No, silly. It's not an instrument. It's an eardrum! And did you know you have people in your eyes? When the light shines on them, they get little, and when the light goes off, they get big!"
"You are so smart, Liv."
"I know, I just learned it on Blue's Clues. And did you know you have tastbugs on your tongue that help you taste food?"


Granted, she has the words a little mixed up, but hey, she's 3! The fact that she knows all of that just blows my mind. I can't wait to see what the next episodes teach her. I'm off to go enroll her for college courses! :)

Livy Lou - The Babysitter

Olivia had her first paying babysitting gig this morning. She stayed inside and "took care" of Charlotte (who was sound asleep in her bed) while I worked outside in the yard. I told her if Charlotte started to cry, just come outside and wave her arms so I could see her.

I had made a few passes around the front yard on the lawn mower when I see Livy standing on the front sidewalk, jumping up and down waving her arms, just like I had told her to. That lasted about as long as I figured it would...

I drive up to her, mower still running, and ask,

"Is Charlotte crying?"
"Well, no... I just wanted to talk to ya for a minute."
Here we go... "Ok, go ahead."
"Well... I wanted to tell ya that next time I see a lollipop tree... and I hear this noise..."
I couldn't make out everything she was saying over the mower. 
"Sounds great! Now I need to mow a little bit more, ok?"
"Ok!"

She came outside just one more time because she needed to stand in some shade for a second, but I was able to get the front yard mowed and pulled some weeds out of the flowerbeds. The other few acres will have to wait...

Charlotte slept the entire time, and Livy Lou earned herself 4 quarters for being such a good babysitter!

Guilty

Terrible, awful, deadly tornadoes tore through Arkansas last night claiming many victims. Many lost their homes and some lost their lives. I knew that. It was sad. I even helped organize a donation drop-off for our church so we can take the supplies next week to those people affected by the tornadoes. But it hadn't hit me yet... not fully.

Tonight didn't exactly go how I wanted it to. I thought we could have a nice relaxing evening together as a family before Drew leaves to go out of town for several days. I even thought about getting crazy and painting my fingernails! But instead, I spent the night trying to calm an unusually fussy baby. Incessant crying does crazy things to your mind. You can go from happy to down right irritated in about 6 seconds flat. So by the time I finally got to bed, I was just flustered and frustrated. I pulled my phone out to catch up on all the Facebook drama, and I got a reality check.

My newsfeed was full of stories and pictures of the families who had lost loved ones in the tornado. One large family lost a father and two daughters, leaving the mother to raise the remaining seven children on her own. Another family lost their two young sons while the parents held on to life in critical condition. I just wondered do they even know yet? What would that be like to wake up and realize your whole world is gone? A middle aged married couple died together. A woman and her son were thrown into their yard, house demolished, but thankfully they survived with minimal injuries.

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. It finally hit me. Yes, it had been sad all along, but now it was real. I glanced over at my sleeping daughter and big tears of guilt began to fall. I was angry because my baby cried tonight?? What do I have to be mad about? These stories happened to real people, and it's only by the grace of God it isn't our family's picture all over Facebook tonight. Lord, please forgive my selfish heart! And wrap your loving arms around these hurting families. Help me to reach out to others and show them love and compassion. I pray that people can see You in me, and that You will be glorified in everything I do.

Life Goals

"Let me see if I can see an airplane... Hey Mom, what about some airplanes that don't have people on them?"

"What do you mean? All airplanes have people on them."

"No they don't. I mean the airplanes that just have air in them. That's why they're called AIRplanes. REMEMBER??"

"They're called airplanes because they fly through the air."

"Oh. I didn't know that. I wish we could do that."

"Maybe someday when you're a little older."

"Yea, like a HUNDRED! That would be cool! How old are you?"

"I'm 26."

"Well how old is dad?"

"He's 28."

"Well, maybe when I'm 89 I can go work at Blue Line just like dad."

She has lots of life goals. None of which begin for another 86 more years...

Easter Dresses

Call me old-fashioned, but I made the girls' Easter dresses this year. I wanted them to match, and I couldn't find any I loved that I was willing to pay for, so homemade dresses it is! It's a little harder to find the time to sew these days. I'm pretty sure I worked on their outfits 30 seconds at a time...

Sew a little... Feed a baby... Sew a little... Fix chocolate milk... Sew a little... Change a diaper... Sew a little... Restart Blue's Clues...

You get the point. 

Anyway, I think they turned out pretty cute! I knew I could handle Livy's dress. It was pretty simple, but I had never made a romper with snaps for Charlotte's. Neither one is perfect, so I hope no one looks too closely, but I think they'll do! 

I love my girlies... They are pretty cute modeling their outfits!