Christmas 2012

A lovely day had by all...

This is our new doll family. We can officially call this the year of the sock monkey. Notice all four of them here. Perfect really...two large (parent) monkeys and two small (baby) monkeys. The girls both love them. Q carries them all over and T chomps their poor little legs.

This is really T's present. She loves to bounce in it, but big sister can't resist it either. She will sit in it happily and bounce and play. She is also pretty happy to help T play with all the toys when she is in it and had her cracking up yesterday. I love the sound of my girls laughing together.

Our First Christmas angel! She had such a fun day. We truly are blessed with two fantastic girls.

Our poor Q was so sick these past few days. She was pretty miserable Christmas Eve and Day. It made the days longer but we were just happy to be together as a family. We hope that your Christmas was Merry! Best wishes to you and yours for a fabulous 2013!

To My Daughters

Dear Girls,
 
I feel as if there might be some wisdom somewhere in a few of the things I have learned in the past few years. I have felt strongly in recent days that I need to write these things down before I move on and forget a thing or two. So, here I am. Writing you this letter late at night. The house is quiet. You are both asleep. The dogs sleep at my feet. Yet, I feel restless. I am anxious. I am agitated. So, I will share the things that haunt my thoughts and pray that something resembling wisdom will manifest itself. Perhaps my heart and my mind will find a little peace tonight.
 
There are so many things that I want for you. I want you to be healthy. I want you to be strong. I want you to be intelligent and develop some common sense. I want you to always retain some childlike innocence. I want you to read and travel. I want you to be good at math and sports. I want you to have drive and desire. I want you to have vision. I want you to be spiritual. I want you to have a testimony. I want you to KNOW always and forever how much I LOVE YOU!
 
I hope you get to make mistakes, and I hope you learn from them. I hope you are best friends. I hope you find true love and get to have families of your own. I hope you roll around in the mud. I hope you challenge yourself. I hope you challenge your beliefs. I hope you question EVERYTHING! I hope you learn from each other. I hope you make lots of friends and find comfort in those friendships.
 
I know you will not be perfect. I certainly don't want you to be. I know you will not always choose the right. I know that you will make hard things look easy. I know that you both have amazing potential. I know this world will be better because you are in it. I know that sometimes you will hurt, and I know I won't always be able to protect you. I know that you were sent to me from a loving Father who knew exactly what He was doing when He gave you to me. I know you may not always feel that way. I know that you are the best decision--the best thing--I ever did.

I feel overwhelmed with life right now. This happens to everyone, but when I am drowning, I look into your eyes--both of you--and I know that somehow everything will be okay. You give me strength. You are my strength. You are my heart. You are my soul. I love you.

Love,

Momma

A Year Ago...

Okay, I meant to write this one on November 27th. It was on that day a year ago that I stood in the bathroom doorway staring at disbelief at the test in my hand. It was on that day that I looked at Nick and said, "Hey, babe?" quiet as a mouse. I cannot believe that it has been just over a year since we discovered that we would be parents again. Admittedly, I was terrified. Today, that terror seems silly. We have been blessed with the most amazing addition to this family in our Tessa Marie, and while I questioned it a year ago, my Heavenly Father knew exactly what He was doing--because He always does.