Christmas Eve 2010 on Jan 2, 2011

So, I finally sat down to blog but I could not get logged in because it has been so long, I forgot my pass word. I had to reset it, which is the story of the password war. It is now the second day of the New Year and I am now in front of the computer again. To say the least 2010 was a very crazy, roller coaster year. We started 2010 unsure of where Matt would work once Progressive Foam closed in Conway. In February he started his new job in Gravette, AR out side of Bentonville. With the new job we made plans to move our family to Bentonville and I then began the search for a new job. All was set and ready to go and then Matt decided that he really could not see this job being a good long term fit for our family and we did NOT move. This all took place the week before Loral and I were supposed to join Matt in Bentonville. Then the second job search of the year started.....Matt found a job in Searcy working for Bryce Corp. in the Maintenance Department and I found a new position in Little Rock working at St. Vincent for Arkansas Neuroscience Institute. Although it has been a crazy year and many HUGE family decisions being made, we found ourselves in pray a lot more than usual but not to say it has not been needed before. The roller coaster ride our family has been on this year made both of us realize how much we really needed to have a better relationship with Christ. We have attended the same church for the past few years but placed membership in October. There are so many young couples and young families that are involved in the church and they are an encouragement to us. Loral is constantly growing and changing. I have been looking at pictures from last Christmas and New Years and I am amazed at how babyish she still looked then and now she looks like a little girl, not a baby anymore. It makes me sad to realize that my sweet little baby girl is just my sweet little girl now. She is such a blessing to be around and the sweetest thing is our bedtime songs. When our busy day is over and it is just the two of us in her bed or the rocking chair and her sweet voice says "Mommy you sing me song". Her request is usually Blue Skies and Rainybows of which I usually start and then she says "no, let me sing it". The waterworks usually start when she begins to sing, the sweet innocence of her voice and how the words are not just right but they are in the way she hears them when I sing. I love this time of day, it is then that everything else that was a struggle for me that day disappears. Even as I am typing now she just gently sneaks in the chair behind me just to hug on my and lay her head on my shoulders. It is rare to find just sweet innocence in today's world, I hope she never looses it. As this new year starts I can not make any promises about my blogging, I can only say when the mood strikes I will share. I am sure that it will become more of a recipe share just because I seem to be cooking more lately and trying new recipes. I hope that you all whomever you are find the peace that on God can bring in the new year and the Hope of Christ....Happy New Year 2011

All the changes

There is so much going on around our house these days. Chasing Loral, trying to pack, keeping the house clean, working, and trying to find time to rest...We now have a move date and are begining to work on a plan to get us moved to the new house as smoothly as possible. With the move we have decided to make the guest bathroom a little more kid friendly than what it is now. We are still going to use some of our Hawaii picture but I have decided that I really like Dr. Seuss One Fish, Two Fish.... I found a shower curtain at PBK, however it is more than I want to spend on a shower curtain. I think with my creative abilities we should be able to use the same denim shower curtain we have and just add some colorful pieces and Dr. Seuss details. I will post some pictures when I get it all done.

We recently took Loral to Wye Mtn. for the Daffodil festival, she was in rare form so I was not able to get that many great shots of her but I did get a few and wanted to share them.

Happy Easter everyone, I will probably post Easter Pictures maybe by Christmas at the rate I have been going. Hopefully we can get our house sold soon and after I finish teaching in June our lives will get back to some sort of normallcy.

It is what it is.....

I have discovered over the past few days that the saying "it is what it is", holds true. With our new family living arrangements we have adopted this phrase. The time that we are apart can not be changed and we just have to put on our big panties and deal. Although it has only been 2 days I have already decided that I do not like this not one bit. Loral is in agreement, although she has not stated this. She has more than shown her dislike for Daddy not being home by acting out and not paying attention. She has also decided that she wants to tell me "no hit" as she hits me on the leg or arm or "no push" as she tries to push me away from the stove or counter. She has gotten this idea confused. I guess when I told her not to hit or push, she thought as long as she repeats what she has been told it is perfectly okay to go ahead with the action. Discipline is proving to be a very daunting task and finding what works for us. It is hard to tell her not to hit anyone or the dogs when after several times on the mat and she continues to do so I have to swat her on the butt. I knew this part was not going to be easy, but I think she is acting out more so right now with Matt being gone than usual and I hope that it will get better as she gets more comfortable with the situation.

18 1/2 month post a little late

I failed to post her 18 month stats and now that she is 20 months I am a little behind. She weighed 21 pounds, was 32 inch tall and her head measured 18 inch.
I need to go ahead and reweigh her but I don't think much has changed.

It is almost time

We enjoyed a great day together as family due to the snow. Matt was planning on going in this morning but after a text message from his current boss, he was told to stay home. We took full advantage of the day. The 3 of us laid in bed for a little while, well until Loral decided she was ready to get "out". This has become our morning routine now that Loral is in a toddler bed and can walk her sweet little self in our room when she wakes. It is always a treat when she comes in early in the am asking for "help" to get in our bed. One morning this week she took a little bit longer getting in our room and when she asked for help I noticed she had a surprise for us. She has decided to bring Matt's football to our bed. She was so excited about her "feetball" and of course we had to act just as happy. Most days she just brings herself other days baby comes to our room with her. So, back to my story of the day. After we got out of bed Matt and I made breakfast. It was so yummy biscuits and gravy, wild hog sausage, and eggs of and some very tasty pecan coffee. As I sat at the dining room table looking at my wonderful family, I realized how much things are about to change. Matt will start going out of town VERY soon and he and I will have 24hours a week to see each other. Granted we do not always get to spend and enormous amount of time together but, this, this is crazy.
Loral is the one I am worried about. She is so little and loves her daddy so so much. She will not understand that Daddy is just gone for the week and he will be back soon. In the mornings after she gives me a kiss she automatically wants to give "daddy kiss". That is just the morning, everything she does throughout the day she wants us both to be apart of. If she goes pee-pee "pobby" she wants us to clap and make a HUGE deal of the accomplishment especially if she poo-poos. When she dress' herself in high heels, 'necktace"and "gasses" and wants to dance she wants it to be family dance. We all hold hands and say our prayers at dinner and she loves to run around the house after her bath and yell "daddy neck" (naked), she feels the need to show off her cute little naked self. After our run of the house we then put on our "booby-panbies" (Sleeping Beauty Night panties) pick out some jamas. Then it is my next favorite time of the day my night kiss. If I am home I usually put her to bed, we must always give daddy kiss before we can go to bed. I lay her in bed tuck her and baby in and give her my final kiss or 2 or 3 of the night and the I say "goodnight" she follows with 'night', I love you 'uv you", see you in the morning 'mormon', then I turn out her light and close her door.
Loral is not the only one that will miss her Daddy. He is my rock and when the day is rough I look forward to coming home to see them both. Our time together after Loral goes to bed is priceless even when I fall asleep during our shows or the latest Netflix delivery. I will not have anyone to warm my hands and feet on at night. Making dinner for 1 1/2 is not going to be much fun and since she does not give any suggestions on what she is in the mood for, means it is all up to me. Great!
I love my family and we are much stronger together, but we will be much stronger having gone through all of this. We did enjoy breakfast, a few movies, a little snow play and dinner together before I had to go in to work. It was a good way to start our period of separation. Please pray for us, our house to sell FAST, me to find a new job, and our family to be back together as a family soon.

The New Year has much in store for our family

These pictures are back wards but she has really enjoyed her shoes.

As we are already in the last week of January I figure I should go ahead and blog about it. Matt starts his new job in a few weeks so our family will be split until our house sells. We officially put our house on the market. It is listed with Velda Lueders of Pam McDowell Properties. I have mixed feelings about all of this but I know that this will be a good thing for our family. The new adventures we will have in Northwest Arkansas. Loral is just as busy as always. She repeats everything. Her new love is highheels, so her Daddy went to the store and bought her some a little better suited for her size. We have a blast. We have discovered that we did not loose all our pictures we had backed up just about all the pictures pre-Loral and have a few of her videos backed up from her first christmas, when she started crawling, her birthday and Las Vegas. It is just all the ones in between that I hope we can recover.