Locked OUT!!!

Ok so there are no pictures for this post but a great story.

First of all, this is totally off the subject but I just wanted to say that my baby girl, Neilie can use the big-girl potty totally by herself. I know that is probably too much information for you all but I am so proud of her... that is a huge step in our house!


Ok here is the real story.

Tonight we were on our way home from visiting GuGu and Papa (my parents) when I realized that I didn't have the normal keys that I use to drive my car. These keys did not have a house key. We were locked out. I wasn't sure how we were going to get in. I was a little panicked. I told the girls I would leave the car running and check the windows to see if I could get a window open to get to the back door and unlock it. I pushed up the screen and pushed on the window... locked.

I went to the other window on the other side of the door (even if I could get this window open, it wouldn't be much help since it was on the side of the door that the hinges ... not the locks were on). Ok so, I pushed up the screen, then pushed on the window... it is unlocked. So the window is up... now what?

This window is so far off the ground, there is no climbing up to it without a ladder. No ladder in sight. I am thinking how can I climb in this little-bitty window? Then it hits me... NEILIE! I can send her through the window and she can unlock the door! I can tell her what to do! She can do this... she is smart! (this is me talking myself into this).

I run to the car, get her out and explain the whole thing to her. She says, "I can do it Mom!" So I lift her in the window. She is now on top of the washing machine and terrified to get down. I hold on to her arm and lower her down.... right into the dog's water bowl... she didn't like this. Ok, after she got over having wet feet, she went to the door and started trying to unlock it. I kept saying, "Turn the lock, turn the lock!!!" She kept jiggling the handle. Ok this is not working, I am thinking.

Then, I remember, Neil's truck keys are on the counter! I am thinking, "Oh this is great, YES!" I tell Neilie to go get the truck keys and bring them to Mommy in the window. She goes over to where they are and says, "Well I can't find them." and starts to walk away! I start banging on the door saying, "Neilie come back, Mommy is cold out here!" She comes over to me and says, "Mommy, its not cold in here." "Ya think?!?!?!?" I am thinking... but do not say of course.

So I tell her to go and try one more time to get the keys. She does and this time actually gets the keys and brings them to me. I try the first key that I think it is... doesn't work! "WHAT?!?!?!?!" I am thinking. Then I try another key. It works we are in!!! I come in, close the window, lock it back, hug Neilie and thank her for saving the day. She said, "Mommy, since I saved the day, can I have a chocolate peguin?" She has been asking for this candy for a while now. I say, "of course!" and she kept saying, "I saved the day Mommy?" My response is, " Neilie, I am so proud of you!" She was beaming!

What a great way to start 2009!

Christmas 2008

I thought it would be fun to decorate some cookies... but we ended up decorating some rice crispy treats that I made. (Neilie calls then rice Christmas trees!)The girls helped me for about 2 seconds then all they wanted to do was eat the icing. I had a hard time putting any icing on the rice "Christmas trees". I don't have any pictures of the finished product but they turned out cute! My favorite was the train. We decorated the engine, a car and the caboose. It was really cute. We left the train for Santa. He ate all the caboose, the car and most of the engine. He must have been hungry at our stop!



Our family tradition is to go to Nanny's Christmas Eve evening and we eat finger foods... and lots of them. At 8:00pm we start watching "A Christmas Story". The whole family gets a kick out of that movie!
This ended up being a great picture. This is my Nanny and all her girls. I am the oldest granddaughter. Then Shelley is next oldest. She is sitting beside me. Then Haley is the baby (of us)... she is sitting beside Nanny. Then of course Claire is sitting with Nanny (no place she'd rather be) and Neilie is sitting with Haley. Haley was the first name Neilie ever said.


I think Santa did a great job this year. Both girls got an American Girl Bitty Baby. Claire loves hers... Neilie likes hers. She is more excited about the CandyLand game. They had a really good time waking up to Santa this year.



Ok after we see what Santa brought, we get ready and head over to MaMa and DaDa's house for a delicious breakfast. MaMa can really cook a fantastic breakfast!!! This picture is of MaMa, Autumn and Preston. What was funny about this picture is, I tried to take it several times and MaMa never would look at the camera, then one time she started drinking coffee. She said, "Oh you are taking a picture!?!?" We all just laughed. So this was the best I could do. Autumn said, "I think I am the only one who knew you were taking a picture!" HAHA! I love my fam!




Ok, Next stop is Noni and Poppi's house. This is Neil's mom, Noni. She and Poppi got the girls an "All in One nursery" for their new babies and an ironing board and vaccum. They have really had fun with it.

My Baby in the hospital!

Last week, Neilie (along with the rest of us) had the stomach virus. She started throwing up on Saturday and by Wednesday was hadn't stopped. I took her to the doctor and she was visibly dehydrated but the doc wanted to try some medicaition and lots of water at home before putting her in the hospital. By Friday, she was still throwing up so we went back to the doctor. This time, she was so dehydrated she had to be hospitalized immediatly!

She had to have an IV in her arm right away. She had some blood work done and it came back with elevated white blood cell count. She was also running a pretty high fever. These two symptoms indicated a slight infection somewhere. She was started on a saline solution through the IV.
After she had been on the IV for about 12 hours, 3:00am Saturday morning, she sat straight up in her bed and said, " Mommy, I need apple juice!" Those were her first intelligible words in days and days.

Dr. Haddad came in and looked at her blood work on Friday evening, then looked and both of us and said, "I am glad she is here!" He said that her electrolytes, potassium, calcium, etc... had all bottomed out. She literally had nothing left!



After a few days on IV and apple juice, she began sitting up on her on. Neil brought her tea set up to the hospital and she, Claire and Neil had a tea party. It was so cute!

This big pink teddy bear was brought up to the hospital by Ms. Julie from Sunday School! She brought her a pretty pink teddy bear, some pretty carolers, and a pink rose. Ms. Julie held Neilie's hand and prayed for her.

It was so sweet. Thank you Ms. Julie.

Neilie is now home and doing better. We are praying she never gets that sick again. It was just awful seeing my baby so sick. She is a trooper and really pulled through.

One evening, Dr. Berry was in there to check on her. As he was leaving, she said, "Dr. Berry... you have really cool stuff in your pockets!" The nurses said that made his year! They said he was out there talking about how cute that little girl in 620 is!

Stomach Virus... all of us!

My mom has been here all day caring for all of us who are sick with this terrible stomach virus. I can't even tell you how bad it is... like you want to know!

Anyway, just wanted to say thank you to my Momma without whom I would have no one to care for my sick family.

Thanks Momma!

luv u
mean it,
~ Abee

There is nothing more precious than FAMILY!

My most precious memories are hearing my DaDa playing the piano. In my grandparents' old house, he would play in the formal den and I would sit on the white couch and listen. This is a memory from my childhood that I will always treasure. I am so grateful that my children will have the same memories of listening to DaDa play the piano.



This is such a precious memory.



You all that read my blog know how important family is to me.On this day, DaDa was playing Jingle Bells and my girls were "playing" with him, rather than singing.

Thanksgiving 2008

What a joy it is to have family together. We weren't all together this year, the Fosters were celebrating with other family members. We missed them so much! We were happy that Shelley and Haley stopped by later on though, that was a nice treat.

Here are two very important men in my life, my hubby and my grandfather, Dada. I am so blessed to have my grandmothers (on both sides) and my grandfather (my Mom's father) alive and well.



...and here is the other important man in my life... my Daddy! Of course, he is hanging out with Claire Thomas. She LOVES her Papa!



Ok, this was great! Neil and I have a timer on our camera so we set it and I ran like crazy to be in the picture. It worked and this is the picture of the whole family (minus the Fosters).

From left to right: Robert, Autumn, Preston, Dada, MaMa, Nanny, Claire, Mom, Daddy, Me, Neil, Neilie.



This picture turned out fantastic! This is Preston and Autumn. What a great picture of father and daughter. My family is great. When so many families dread getting together for the holidays, we look forward to it. We were all so excited to be with each other for this holiday. I am so glad we could get together and make new memories. (Autumn, how does that tree in the front yard smell?)



After we ate until we couldn't move... we decided we would play outside with the girls. Here is Claire wanting Guh-Guh to chase her.

Keeping my day job....

So, I thought I would save some $$ by taking pictures of my girls in my church lobby in their Christmas dresses. I really wanted them in front of the big Christmas tree in the front lobby. That really didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. We did get one that we liked out of all these shots with the two of them together.



Oh and you'll notice the date is wrong on all the pictures... this is obviously last week sometime... not Jan. 1 2006 (or whatever date it says)

Here is the sweetest thing ever...
When you turn the corner, there is the biggest Christmas tree you have ever seen... my girls were more excited and more interested in baby Jesus!!! Isn't that precious?!?!

Here is Neilie wanting to hold the baby Jesus because, "He's so cute, Mommy!"





Claire was excited because Neilie was excited.

Here is Neilie showing Claire how "cute" the baby Jesus is.

This was Neilie's reaction to the biggest Christmas tree she had ever seen.

This is one that I thought was cute... the girls were laughing at my mom who was playing peek-a-boo with them through the stair rail.



Merry Christmas Ya'll!!!


This is my Claire Thomas... that little crooked smile...I could just squeeze her!