A New Addition

I got a phone call from my parents this past weekend about a brand new little boy that they had just brought home. I must say that it was a bit of a surprise when I found out that Laura Belle and I were getting a "brother"! I know my Dad's been wanting one for quite a while but...

OK, enough teasing! They got a little puppy of course!!! A beautiful purebred collie...

Meet Jax!

Jax - 9 weeks old

My Dad chose his name, and it fits him perfectly. He's such a cutie - and a cuddler!

I had so much fun playing with him! Livia really liked him too, but Jax wasn't so sure about my running, loudly-jabbering, toddler... I think she kinda scared him! Well, at least she's not the least bit afraid of him - or any dogs for that matter! And as Jax grows, I'm sure he'll grow to love Liv :o)

As I watched my Dad play with Jax, it made me realize how much he's missed having a dog around. My Sis had a Husky/German Shepard mix a while back, but unfortunately Jade died at only a few years old...

Before that, we all had a girl Collie named Sadie who lived to be 13 or 14; even before that Daddy had another boy Collie - Rags. I called him Ragsie, and I still get sad when I think about the day he died. I knew he was sick, and there was absolutely nothing I could do. It's funny how we remember losing our precious animals throughout the years.

My Dad and Little Mr. Puppy playing away

And after a long day of petting and playing (and avoiding my muchkin terrorizing him!), Jax was sooo tired:

Aww! Sleepy Jax :o)

Hope you all enjoyed meeting Mr. Puppy! I cannot wait to get back out to my parents to play with him again! We'll be out there this Friday for the 4th of July, but I may not even be able to wait til then. I just love his soft fur, his sweet little puppy-face, and his cuddles.

Much love to you all and God Bless!

*Crash*

No, not the sound of me crashing & burning after a long day of fun and play - though I shall certainly do that soon! And it's not even the sound of me running into something. It seems that my laptop has crashed... Rats on a stick!

So here I am out in the garage on my hubby's computer, typing away as quickly as possible. There's a lot I hope to accomplish in not a whole lot of time. I hope... Oh, how the Internet-world can suck me in!

Well, hopefully I'll find out how bad the damage is after Phil the computer expert gets back into town on Wednesday. Is it selfish/ridiculous to pray for the computer to be halfways OK? Yeah, thought so...

How about this: I pray that everything works out just the way God wants it to. Yeah. That's a good prayer :o)

Much love to you all and God Bless!

Just Because

Last week, I started writing little notes and such to my husband. I think about him all the time, but I realized that there's no possible way he could know that unless I did something to show him. One night I even baked him a 'just because' cake (my own creation!) and wrote him a poem to match. Why just because? Well, that is exactly why. Just because.


Just Because
Just Because I love you
Just Because you're mine
Just Because you're everything
I've ever hoped to find

Just Because you're wonderful
Just Because you're neat
Just Because without you
My life is incomplete

Just Because you hold me
Just Because you care
Just Because I truly know
You'll always be right there

Just Because you're handsome
Just Because you're great
Just Because I've always known
You are my perfect mate.

Love you so much, and thank God for you every day, Perry. You're such an amazing husband and father!

All my love,
Your Babydoll

WHAT?!!!

Has it seriously been more than 2 weeks since I've last put up a post?! NO!! OK, that's it - I'm grounded.

What to do, what to do...?

So much has happened since the last time I put anything up here, I'm not even sure where to start. I think I first want to start with doing something a little fun :o)

Though I've somehow managed to basically keep up on all my faithful reads, I'm positively HORRIBLE about commenting - even when there's a post that I absolutely adore. Why am I so awful about just taking the 10 minutes 2 minutes to tell someone how much I love what they wrote? Does it count that I do it in my head? Eh, didn't think so...

SO, there's a bit of what's been going on that I'd like to share... much of it about many of YOU!

First of all, some of what I've been very busy with the last couple of weeks is taking pictures (mostly of my little Livia, but still!) These picture sessions have been very time-consuming since all the shooting was out in my parents' neck of the woods... yeah, the middle of nowhere. But out in the country, guess what 's been prime for the pickin's (and for the 'pics')? Wheat! Well, actually kiddos posed in wheat fields.

I got the idea from my wonderful Aunt Tanya - who many of you may know as The Dairy Wife. She photographed a couple of multiples' families from around our area, and of course her kids too. She also was sweet enough to photograph my little girl - and ME! - when we were out with her kids one evening! I was going to wait to post pictures, but she did such an amazing job, that I just can't wait...!
Aren't those great?!! I seriously don't know which one is my favorite! I love the first one - all bright & sunny, and Livia's smiling from ear to ear... but in the second she's SO serious (and so sweet!) But the last 2 in the little rocking chair are really special to me... It was actually my Granny's - Livia's Great-Granny up in Heaven watching down on her... I can't help but get teary eyed when I think about Livie not getting to grow up with her and my Pa. But I know that they're in a much better place, and we'll all be back together someday.

Ok, *wiping tears away* just few more of me & Lil Miss Munchkinator:

Yes, I know I have the whitest legs in the world, but I've heard that panty-hose with open toes are HUGE no-no's. And I can't even imagine wearing them with flip flops! (which is what I actually had on! Haha)

Anyway, before I forget, The Dairy Wife did all sorts of photos in that wonderful wheat field, including some of my sweet sis-by-choice, Kendra & her family. It was so awesome! The kiddos called her Miss Tanya, they were beyond perfect angels for the picture-taking, and Tanya let me get in on the photography action as well. We ended up with some fan-tas-tic shots! Lemme tell ya!

**Note: I'll try as quick as I possibly can to get some of those wonderful pictures edited & will post them up as soon as I do! Promise!**

Thanks for letting us get some awesome pics of your kiddos, Kendra. And THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, Aunt Tanya. I really appreciate you getting all those great pictures for us. You're absolutely incredible! I know you already know that, and I didn't really have to tell you, but I wanted to :o)

I also want to thank Tabitha (over at Twinkle Twinkle) for making me laugh til I cried. I've been laughing ever since she put THIS up last Wednesday - oh, what a perfect world that would be!!! Good luck keeping up with those tennis-lovin' kiddos, gal! OH! I almost forgot - Tabitha also had another post up about a month ago that made my eyes just about pop out of my head! See if you can keep from drooling if you go here ladies!

On an important (and exciting!) note, Sweet Elise is still beautifully glowing and growing, awaiting the arrival of her Mini Boy Blue. We're all so excited for her, T, and Sav! (I know that a lot of you - who I have been so blessed to 'meet' - also have Elise in your thoughts. Dani even has a baby-watch going for her & Mini!) I cannot wait to "meet" this sweet little boy. Please keep Elise in your thoughts and prayers that all will go as smoothly and perfectly as possible when Mini does come into the world!

**Note, in her last post, Elise has said that she & T will (of course) be very busy being VERY new parents right after Mini Boy Blue is born, and that her Mum, Lucy (I love her!) will "have a sneak peak photo and some stats for you on her blog when he is born..." I can totally understand why they won't be letting their camera out of their sight while in hospital!**

Another thing I wanted to mention is that Kindra over at 3 Guys a Girl and a Prim Place has done something very awesome. Earlier this past month, she started selling her wonderful, beautiful hand-made creations on Etsy! She has her own little shop and everything!!! (I didn't know anything about Etsy until Kindra posted about it, but it is such an awesome place for creative entrepreneurs such as this lovely lady) Anyway, be sure to check out Kindra's Etsy shop: Momma's Primitives

What else has been going on? Well, Valarie Lea has been posting some pics of fish, penguins, turtles, and fun from her adventures at the Tennessee Aquarium. Oh, and she had some super-cute videos that went perfectly with her pictures! Loved 'em!

The Doctor's Wife has some HUGE NEWS!!! (That I have yet to congratulate her on... Ooh, I'm such a horrible commenter!) Well, in case I forget (again) Joy, I'm so happy for you guys!!! Congratulations!!!

Also, there are a few of awards I've been given... one of which I'm almost embarrassed to claim since it was more than a MONTH ago that Nan sent it my way (and all who share commenting love with her)... Then she put another one up a few weeks ago for Linky Love - she's so thoughtful! But I want to definitely thank you, Nan, for the sweet awards! Also my wonderful sis-by-choice, Kendra, sent me one as well. Thank you sweetie :o) Gals, I'll post them up and pass them on ASAP, I promise!

A lot of you gals read Kendra's Blog (Who wouldn't? She's absolutely awesome!) Don't be worried if she's a bit absent in her writing this week - she's on vacation! What a lucky gal :o) Hope you have a great time, K~!

Oh, I hope I haven't overlooked or forgotten any other happenings with my blogger friends... Call me out on it if I have though!

Finally, I want to leave you with something I 'stole' from Valarie Lea's blog - with her permission of course. I think you all will love it just as much as I do!

The Bloggers Prayer

Lord help me to learn to spell without spellcheck, manage to visit all that visit me, and post regularly - all in 5 minutes a day, so that I can clean house and take care of my family. Help me to not look at every occurrence in my life as a blog post, and to quit taking pictures of weird things to share as well. Please Lord, help me to stop talking about my blog friends as though they are next door neighbors or someone I have known all of my life. And help me dear Lord, to think of something witty and wise to post tomorrow.
Origin Credit----The Dust Bunny Hostage

Much love to you all and God Bless!
~Amanda~

Little Boys' Dreams

I often wonder what little boys think and dream about, seeing as I am a girl and I only have a little girl. From what I hear though, almost every little boy dreams of being a fireman.

And some little boys never stop dreaming of becoming a firefighter, even after they're all grown up. My sister's boyfriend is definitely one of this young men. And officially as of Tuesday of this week, Michael is a firefighter!

These pictures were all taken a few weeks ago, but I promised not to post them until Michael was 'officially' on the department. He went through 7 weeks of training with the Evansville Fire Department. He's now the youngest member of the EFD!

Isn't he such a handsome young man?

And a little more casual shot of Michael in his Class A's.

A close-up of the EFD badge

And what would a firefighter be without a beautiful lady by his side? Not to mention that Laura Belle is going to school to be a nurse - every little girl's dream.

Such a great picture of those two.

One more of Laura and Michael with the entire ensemble.

He and my sister are so amazing together.

I also got some pictures on the day of Michael's graduation, but I haven't downloaded them onto the computer yet. Actually, I have several pictures I need to put on the computer and on here!

*Sigh* Someday I'll get all caught up! Til then, much love to you all and God Bless!

My Little Fish

Livia has had so many firsts lately, and this past weekend was no exception!

I'm so lucky to have parents who have an above-ground pool. It didn't really get used a whole lot over the last few years, but I have a feeling that this year it certainly will!

Sunday Livia had her first experience in a pool... And before I go any further, I must be sure to thank our friend Jessi Marvel! She and Laura Belle are great friends, and Jessi & her husband came out for some fun after church on Sunday. Jessi is an amazing photographer & videographer, and she was sweet enough to take all these wonderful pictures for me!

We wondered what Livia would think of it (you know - some kiddos aren't too keen on all that water) but she could barely wait to get in!

As you can see, Liv liked it from the get go. And me right in there with her - yes, there is a swim suit under the shirt! But it's the only swimming suit that fits right now and it's a bit PG-13. I'm trying to keep things rated G (online and out there), so hence the t-shirt cover-up.

Livia splashed and squealed in her new water-world.

My daughter seems to think she's a fish! She wasn't at all afraid of putting her head under water. Though she did get a little choked up a couple of times when she tried to 'eat' the water.

She loved it when I jumped up & down with her - I think it was the big splashes that made her laugh.

I just love the look of sheer joy on her face.

She even let me lay her on her back. Though I'd never actually let her go, I'm totally convinced that she could have floated in this position.

My Mom held her on the edge of the pool when some of the big kids got a little rowdy - she thought they were hilarious!

But then I took her back in and we had some big fun!

I took Livia under the water with me for just a split-second...And she loved it!

She got so excited and started bouncing like she wanted to do it again.

So we did!

And all smiles once again. Yeah, I think I have a little water baby!

Something else that just tickled Livia was when I tossed her up in the air...

Oh it was so much fun!

(**Note - I'm sure that some of you noticed the 'GUARD' on the back of my shirt, and yes I really was a lifeguard for 3 years. If anyone's ever heard of Holiday World, that's where I saved lives - or at least got a pretty good tan those years!**)

After a while, Livia started getting really tired. All that swimming takes so much energy!

Before she got too sleepy, I managed to get one of Jessi playing with Liv....

And one of Livie's Auntie Laura Belle

Oh, yeah! And one of Laura and Livie.

And my Dad got in on the fun too - pretty rare for him to be having fun, as he's usually working in the summer sun.

Livia loved all the attention and people in the pool.

It's so crazy to think that just a year ago, Livia was a teeny little baby. I loved her just as much then as now, and we certainly had fun back in those days as well... But it sure is awesome to be able to get her out in the sun - with sunscreen, of coarse.

I think she has her Daddy's skin tone (she seems to tan pretty easily) but that doesn't mean she doesn't need protection from the sun. I even use the baby sunscreen on myself - 50spf baby! And with all the damage I did to my skin during my years of life guarding and (*gasp!*) fakin' bakin', I want to do all I can now to protect and prevent against further damage.

Anyway, sorry about the lecture there! I'm sure I'll be posting more about our outdoor adventures soon. Maybe even a few more from this day - Laura & her friends were a hoot in the pool!

Oh, it sure looks like we'll be having a great time this summer!

Out and About

With our beautiful summer-like weather, Livia and I have been having so much fun getting out & about. About a week ago, we decided to get together with Jamie and Olivia to have lunch. And Liv looked so stinkin cute, that I just had to get a few pictures of her before we left...

There were people driving by, and of coarse Livia made sure to wave at everyone.

Even me!

"Hiya!" (her new favorite phrase)

She's such a sweetie, and I love the look of her innocence in this picture.

But she's pretty busy and can't stay still for pictures for long!

Luckily, we were soon on the road and off to eat at Edgewater Grille - a restaurant known mainly for its atmosphere (Honestly their food is nothing to brag about... but being able to sit outdoors and to look out on the river is great!) It was our first time ever there, and we had a lovely day to enjoy our experience.

I grabbed a few quick pictures with my camera-phone before Jamie and Olivia arrived. Not great pictures, but they're some fun memories.

This was our view:

Livia was a bit antsy - she wanted to run around so badly... Until she caught a glimpse of a barge going by. She watched in fascination as that huge thing on the water slowly went by.

But then Liv was back to being bored!

When you're 1, there's just too much to do! I can only imagine how hard it was for Livia to just sit still (shoot - sometimes it's hard for me!), but she really did a great job.And she even looked right at me long enough to grab this cute little picture!

Then our friends arrived and I forgot to take any more pictures. Rats. We had a wonderful time just the same!

Livie's Mommy & Daddy Time

As much time as Perry and I both spend with Livia, sometimes I forget to write about how much time we spend with her... and how we both cherish every moment!

Though Daddies are often the 'fun guys' (and I can bet money that Perry will be in years to come) it seems that lately Livia's Daddy has been her cuddle-buddy! Perry just loves it with Livie gives her big cuddles. And though it's a very rare event, once in a while Liv will even fall asleep on him...

This was actually taken on the day of Olivia's Baptism, and since I had the camera handy I took advantage of this rare event! It was my golden opportunity to have these wonderful memories forever.

Perry hates having his picture taken, so I feel very blessed to have been able to get this picture - with a smile too!

One more close-up of Liv sleeping sweet on her Daddy.

Me on the other hand? I'm such a goofball and a natural extrovert that I LOVE having my picture taken with my daughter. Again though, opportunities to get someone else behind the camera don't always occur on a regular basis...

So when Perry snapped these for me, I was beyond excited!

These were taken just before bedtime... even though Liv is holding sunscreen in this photo.

I tried to snuggle Livia...

But as you can see, she really wasn't in the mood (see her little hand pushing me away?)
At least I got some cute pictures out of us!

I think Livie knows that her Mamma's quite a goofball, but she's OK with that. I am too :o)