*tap tap* Is this thing on??

This post will be a random assortment of things that I want to remember, things that have been happening, and recent pictures that should be seen by everyone. :) I know I’m a bit behind on blogging, so here is an attempt to catch up. (And a cute picture to illustrate the point) :)

Abby has really gotten in a good routine for bedtime lately. Every night, we tell Daddy “night night” and “yuv you” with hugs and kisses before reading 2 or 3 books. Current favorites are Hush-a-Byes, The Night Before Christmas (yes, I know it is May), and The Going to Bed Book. Once in a while we will substitute with Kitten’s First Full Moon or something by Dr. Seuss. What are your kids’ favorite bedtime books?

Last Wednesday started a rough week in our house. Abby started running fever, and we found out she had strep (which I had the week before). I was still finishing my antibiotics when we got her started on hers. Her fever stayed between 101 and 103, but it climbed to 105 on Friday night—scary!! It was a long night, but we made it through, and her fever finally broke on Sunday. Happy Mother’s Day! :) I took this picture when her fever was around 103, but you can’t really tell!

One of Abby’s favorite movies right now is Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Chipmunk Adventure (see above picture). Remember that one?? Yeah, it was made in 1987. Classic. I got the DVD on Amazon.com, and it came with a CD of the music from the movie—yay! Now we can sing along with the chipmunks in the car, too! Haha Speaking of…

Abby has figured out that she can sing along with any and every song she hears now…. and it is SO funny! One of the previously mentioned Chipmunks songs is “The Girls of Rock & Roll,” although when they sing it, it sounds like “rock and roll-ah” because of the pop-star emphasis. So when Abby sings it, it comes out as “rock an’ roll-YAH” or “roll-DA.” Hilarious! She will also bust out randomly with “Twinkle, Twinkle” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” I am looking for kids’ Christian music (other than Veggie Tales—we have a ton!) that we can listen to more since she is really starting to sing along. Any suggestions?

On the job front, Casey is scheduled to do some freelance video stuff for Harding in the next few weeks and will do video for Uplift again this summer. He’s still applying for other jobs, but no hits yet. I am supposed to be starting a new (VERY part-time) job soon, but it hasn’t been finalized yet. More details on that when it’s set in stone…

In closing, here is little miss priss trying to wear Mommy and Daddy’s shoes—what a mess! :)

On Hold

There are a lot of things I have been wanting to do lately, but with our job situation being what it is, I have been afraid to commit to anything. Here are a few of my favorite excuses:

• "We're applying for jobs everywhere, so we might not even live here in a few months."
• "If Casey gets back in the army, we'd just have to leave when he's done with training."
• "I'm not sure how many hours/what days/which shifts I'll have to work next month."
• "I don't want to tell them I have to quit if things change and I can't keep doing [fill in the blank]."

Pretty good, huh? I have become the queen of evading commitment and responsibility. In lieu of this epiphany, I am slowly making plans for this fall. Here is what I am considering so far:

• Enroll Abby in Carpenter's Kids
• Join local MOPS steering team
• Complete student teaching internship for Master's degree
• Continue working at the gym as needed

I have already completed the first item, and the 2nd and 3rd are in the works. My main concern with all of it right now is scheduling, but if there is one thing I am good at, it's organizing the calendar. :) I spent this whole year saying, "I want to be more involved, but..." Nothing is certain for us right now. There is no telling when or where steady employment will come our way, and I don't want to keep putting things off that I know I should be doing.

I hope this wasn't overly boring for everyone. I guess I'm kind of taking a stand for myself... against... myself? Ha! Sometimes it helps to see it in writing--thanks for indulging my rant. To reward those who suffered through it, here is a video of Abby I took yesterday. She is currently in love with Blue's Clues and can sing along with the songs. I don't know what her obsession is with having her fingers in her mouth right now, and YES, we are going through the terrible/defiant twos (as you might notice at the end). Enjoy! :)

Need a Baby Shower Gift?

If you are in need of a gift for an upcoming baby shower, please check out my friend's Etsy site:

Baby Boutique (babyboutiquecrafts.etsy.com)

Mandy finds the cutest fabric and sews her own burp cloths, nursing covers, and diapee bags. There are still several items that will be added to the store soon, so check back when you need a gift idea or something for yourself! All of the money she makes on this site will go towards their adoption expenses. You can do your shopping online, get a really cute gift, and help fund an adoption all at once! Does that make you feel good? :) Spread the word!

Blast from the Past

Does this look familiar to anyone?? I feel like I've seen that tiny face and huge glasses somewhere before.... hmmm......

These are Casey's BCG's (read: Birth Control Glasses.... yes, the army really does call them that). We had to take the pictures fast before Abby got a headache. :) Can we say, "Mini-Me"??

Is it really mid-March??

I hate to say it already, but.... I'm back on Facebook. NOT because I wanted to be, but apparently you can't function in the social world without having access to an account. No one sends actual invitations to things in the mail anymore, I guess. Within a matter of two weeks, I was accosted by several people wondering how on earth they were supposed to let me know about their children's birthday parties or see if I was available for (insert event here) if I didn't have a Facebook account?! So all of that being said, I have reactivated my account for those who feel they cannot reach me by any other means. ;) I am sticking to my original intentions and not wasting my life away by stalking people on it. I get on quickly to check messages and get right back off! So far, so good...

Casey is working nights and weekends right now delivering pizzas, and I am working a few days here and there at the gym nursery. It isn't nearly enough to pay all of the bills, but somehow God still keeps us afloat. We're still hoping to hear back from Searcy PD soon (they can't check his background forever!). If that doesn't work out, it looks like we might be heading back to the army.... please continue to pray as we search for God's plan for our family!

I hope you had a lovely St. Patrick's Day.... if you remembered that it was yesterday. :) I would not have given it a second thought, but my friend Joy let Abby borrow a dress to wear that her grandmother had made (she had two, so we got to wear one of them). Abby loves to wear dresses right now, and anything that involves a skirt/dress and tights means that she is a "pwetty pwincess." I haven't posted many pictures lately (or taken any, for that matter), so we'll end with a few recent pictures. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Abby picked this outfit herself--she wanted to wear the "turtle" (aka turtleneck) and "pwincess dwess" (aka skirt) with tights. :)

Daddy & Abby throwing pebbles in the creek at Berryhill Park

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Goodbye, Facebook!

Well, I finally did it. I deactivated my Facebook account. I have been considering this option for several weeks, and after discussing it with a friend from church, we both decided to free ourselves from the addiction. Do you know how many hours I waste looking around that site?? I can't even tell you... it's that embarrassing. Don't worry grandparents--I will still upload Abby pictures on Snapfish (and a few on here). I just can't justify spending so much time with a pointless social networking website and so little time with God! How much Scripture could I have studied in the amount of time I spent on Facebook last month? How many hours of sleep have I deprived my body of by staying up too late online? I can't even imagine...

So here we go. I am driven to prioritize my life. The struggle that has been before me recently is this: I know what is good for me physically, mentally, and spiritually. Why, then, is it so difficult to follow through and put thought into action? I am determined to transform my intentions into actions. These are the things I am currently striving to do to improve my life and that of my family:

• Get in bed no later than 10:30 p.m.
• Drink water. LOTS of water.
• Study my Bible every day.
• Pray with my child and husband every day.
• Incorporate more Christian music into our daily lives.

The Word of God speaks, and I have been spoken to:

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." James 4:17

***What has God been saying to you lately??***

Tara & Peter's Wedding Website

This is just a quick post to let you know that Tara and Peter have a website with details of the wedding. It includes the cute "About Us" and "The Proposal" sections, so check it out! (Make sure to read the "How We Met" section--it's my favorite.) :) Don't forget to sign their guestbook!

The Curtis/Snell Wedding

And for those who have Facebook, you can see their engagement pictures here:

Tara & Peter's Engagement Pics (by Amanda Kay Moore)