Waaaaa!

Ever feel like this?

Good news: You're not trapped. Its just that the ride is not quite over.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Fear Not

The kids just received a Natvity set in the mail from the grandparents. Mary Hannah was playing with it as I was cooking dinner tonight. The simplicity of what I heard made me smile.
Mary Hannah provided the voices for the characters

Angel: Mary you're going to have a baby.
Mary: AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!
Angel: Don't worry.

What's even funnier is that very concept is what has stuck out most to me this Christmas season. As God plans to do the crazy and impossible, he says "Don't worry, I am with you."
God, who is all knowing, had his angels speak words of affirmation and comfort, knowing Mary would need to hear them ...

"The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 2:28

Now I'm The Mom ...

 I learned A LOT from my mommy ... and I thought about that last night as I was taking care of my sick daughter.

I was holding MH's hair back when she was throwing up. She asked me to rub her back. Then she needed to be held. I whispered softly while she was gripping the toilet in her tiny little hands, "Its okay, Mommy is here."  I remembered how my mom would talk calmly to me, hold me, rub my belly, and sit with me as I was sick.

I thought of my mom in the middle of the night as I changed MH's sheets. I helped her to the bathroom, wiped her little mouth, put her in new PJs, then laid her on the floor as I gave her a fresh bed. I have a very strong memory of my mom helping me like that. And when I was sick, being taken care of was the best part. I remember the comfort I felt lying half asleep on the floor. I was sick, tired, and in need of help ... but not the least bit worried or scared. I probably fell fast asleep before my mom was able to get all 4 corners of the fitted sheet to stay in place!

Now, I'm the mom who changes the sheets and lysols everything in sight. And I jump at every little noise I hear in the middle of the night when one of my children is sick. I am the one who is hopelessly tired in the morning after such unpleasant events. Now I'm the mom ... which means I pray! I pray for my sick kids to be healed, and for everyone to have rest.

Mercifully, God healed her from whatever stomach bug she had.  And I know it was God ... because I prayed and told him I knew all about Job and how he allows his children to be touched, bothered ... so I told Him that I knew he could also stop it. And, mercifully, He did!

This week has been the busiest ever for Chris. He has been at the East Campus for most of the week, coming home only to sleep a little and go right back. Its a very big week for him. The kids and I were having a great time enjoying each other and playing around town until Captain Stomach Bug came about. Satan was trying to steal my contentment and give me something to gripe about. Also, something to disrupt our calm home and distract Chris or make him feel badly that I am taking care of a sick child while he has to be away. Well, I was NOT going to have any of that mess. So I talked to God about it and He heard me.

And when God answers prayer, we are supposed to tell about what God has done instead of a mediocre nod ...like a "Yeah, by the way, thanks for that. .. I deserved it." I believe God still heals. And I am so thankful for it!

Laundry Help

They wanted to help ... so I let them handle it. Team work!

Summer Swimmin'

What summer is all about ...

This neighborhood kiddie pool is the best I have ever seen. Thanks to a great friend, we got to enjoy it for the day. 4 hours later the kids still didn't want to leave!

A quick trip to Target before heading to the pool... we snatched 2 floaties. They were the highlight of the day for the kids.

Avery is such a cutie!

Mary Hannah was enjoying the independence.

She was very protective of their new toys, so she decided to carry Avery's while he wasn't using it. Later in the day she decided to share with some kids ...

Relaxing

Mary Hannah was clearly too small for her float. But, she tried to float and kick anyway.

I love spending time with my little munchkins!

Playing with the Lamms

(playing on the trampoline in the sprinklers)

The Lamms moved to Texas just about the same time we did last year. Our mutual friend, Rachel, introduced us to each other and we have been Facebook friends ever since. It took us almost one year to meet up ... and we are so glad we did. The kids (and moms) had a fun-filled day. We left home just after breakfast and came home at bedtime. The kids were exhausted, and I was energized to talk with a new friend.
Here are some pictures from our day:

MH, Georgia, Jude, and Avery eating lunch at a HUGE church in town. They have the largest indoor playground ever, and a a cafe that serves Chick-fil-a and Starbucks. That is play date heaven!

Georgia and Mary Hannah became fast friends!

Mary Hannah wanted to hold her hand the whole time!

Monkey jumping!

Ring around the Rosie

Its all going so quickly!!!

My kids are growing up. Sigh. I am so proud of their achievements. Avery is reading quite well, he just lost his first tooth, and is about to graduate from K4. Mary Hannah also loves school, loves to sing and dance, and holds her crayons with perfect grip! She can also form some letters shockingly well. In fact the other day I saw that she wrote on her chalkboard a few random letters ... usually her favorites right now are M, H, W, O, T, and sometimes A.

This is another milestone week for the Hughes fam. We are going to register Avery for Kindergarten! He is really fond of school this year. He usually asks me when I pick him up "Why is school over?" If it was up to him, he'd stay at school forever! I am praying that it will be the same way next year. Though his day will be 2 hours longer than it currently is, it will be 5 days a week instead of just 4, and I am pretty sure there is no napping there. I know he will do well. But I am sure it will be an adjustment for everyone!

The only problem with all of this is that there are no more babies in this house. And, yes, that IS a problem. I am praying about it. Either the Lord will bless us with a child who needs a loving home or he will have me use that need-to-nurture in another way. I am sure there are a lot of babies at the hospital who need some tender lovin! Either way, I'm good. I just can't believe that we have passed the baby stage!

So many seasoned moms have said to me, whether at my baby showers or even just in passing at the grocery store, "Enjoy it. It goes quickly!" Wow, they are right. It is flying by ...

No More Diapers ... and other signs they're growing up

We are now a diaper free home. Sigh. Rejoice. Reflect. Rejoice ... lots of mixed emotions. Mostly celebratory emotions, but undoubtedly mixed with the reality that are children are growing up quickly.... AND ... We don't have any babies here. Boy, would I love to cuddle a baby!

Along with ditching the diapers, Mary Hannah has added to her grown up status gum-chewing and role playing. She likes to believe that she has achieved motherly status when she is chewing a piece of Extra and is carrying her baby doll. "Look, now there are two moms!" she exclaims as she trots on by. She also has an imaginary friend, Sally, who visits us frequently. Usually Mary Hannah greets her in our apartment building elevator and consults her when putting on jewelry and hair bows.

Avery has been getting taller ... so much so that a common question from any acquaintance is "How old are you?" Followed by a quick "Wow! You are tall!" He is enjoying his new status as a 5 year old very much, and tells anyone who will listen that he will be in Kindergarten next year. Avery is a great reader. He loves to read anything in sight ... including every street sign, and even pretends to know how to read a road map. Which, of course, means that he likes to tell us where to go when we are driving. Recently he has gained quite an interest in math and science. School is fun for Avery. Each day we have the same routine. We arrive at school, he excitedly runs ahead of me into his class and doesn't even turn to say goodbye when he reaches the door. Instead he bolts right on in and mingles with his friends. I don't mind. Actually, I prefer it that way ... The other day when we picked him up at the end of the day he turned to Chris and said, "I don't know why school is over. Do you? I love this place!"

Life is sweet for the Hughes fam. We certainly remember to thank God for such blessings!

2 for 1

Avery and Mary Hannah's birthdays are about a month apart. This year we decided to have one party for both of the kids at the same time. Its a "two-fer" and, boy was it a good idea!
One day, one party, two cakes, all the fun you can handle at Chuck-E-Cheese.

We were pleasantly surprised at how accommodating the workers were! We opted out of the party package and just did our own thing there. We came armed with decorations, party plates, two homemade cakes, and enough money for 600 tokens and 6 pizzas. We even used coupons! You know how I like coupons. To sweeten the deal, we had the party at an off-time when all other kids would be in school. 11 am on Friday morning made a fairly empty place. Mary Hannah and Avery invited a combined 17 kids. It was a fantastic party. We all enjoyed it. So easy, no stress. Everyone had fun.

Princess for a Day

While at Disney a few weeks ago ...

Avery happened to get sick in the middle of the night. That was a first for us... especially at the hotel. Turns out there are very nice housekeepers that tended to our every need, disinfecting, delivering new sheets in the middle of the night and even cleaning the carpets! Chris stayed back with Avery while MH and I shared a special day. My husband is wonderful to us like that.

Little Miss Mary Hannah enjoyed her mother-daughter day at Magic Kingdom dressed as Belle. (A big thank you to Grandma for making her dress!) We had lunch with the princess at Cinderella's Castle, rode the Golden Carousel, listened to Story Time with Belle and toured Minnie Mouse's House and visited with Tinkerbell. Disney World is always magical. But the time that Mary Hannah and I shared with each other was precious.

This video was taken in Belle's Story Time Nook. It was just after MH saw Belle. She heard the music and started dancing. I turned on the camera and let her do her thing. She was in fairytale land for sure!