Bragging Rights...

Everyone knows how Smart Briley is... Everyone always comments on it.... She is VERY VERY smart. Way smarter than she should be for age 3....

Last week, she has her 3 Year Old Mid Year Assessment at school. Her teachers told us she scored higher than any other 3 year old in the school! Top of her class!!!

Her Assessment looks like this:

I can Count to: 18

I can count 1 for 1 ratio to: 5

Shapes I know include:

Circle

Square

Triangle

Rectangle

Heart

Pentagon

Star

Diamond

Colors I know are:

Red

Yellow

Blue

Green

Orange

Purple

Pink

Brown

Gray

Black

White

I can Sing my ABC's From: A to Z

I know the Sounds of: A B C D E F G H I J K T S

I know these letters by sight:

A B C D E H J O Q R T Z

I know these numbers by sight:

1 2 3

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY GIRL!! You are so smart! You make mommy proud!

SANTA!!!

We took the Girls to See Santa tonight... We decided we didn't want to use their beautiful Christmas Dresses that MeMaw Bought because we didn't want them to get dirty before the big day...so we opted for their adorable Matching Christmas Elf Jammies. Each one of course has a coordinating hairbow and they just looked adorable, like they were waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. Everyone at the mall kept stopping us to tell us how adorable our two girls are. I would have to agree....

Briley Adores Santa. She told him she wants a Sleeping Beauty Styling Vanity.

Briley is still just as excited as ever... Kayelyn is not so sure....

Once Santa Started playing the "Shhhh" Game with Kayelyn, she calmed down. :)

DA DA DA DA....

"DA DA DA DA"

Here is a video of Kayelyn saying "da da da da..." She is so cute and so smart!! She knows exactly what she is saying!

In the background you can hear Briley Yelling "GOODNIGHT MOMMY & DADDY!" from her room.... Such a good girl.

She also says "Ma Ma Ma Ma..." But only when she wants something or is upset :)

Go Figure.

Fit Throwing 101

Just in case any of you out there needed some advice on how to throw a fit.... Briley is Happy to oblige. She has been in quite the mood the past couple days.... I finally decided to take pictures to show her how silly she looks when she throws a fit.... So far it has worked out pretty well.

Look at this BIG girl!

Mama's Big girl can stand up... takes steps with assistance and hold onto the furniture and stand up!!! What a BIG BIG girl!!!

Cruisin with Uncle T

Standing at the Coffee Table

LOOK AT THE BIG GIRL!!!!

Auntie Jen's Christmas Cookie Party!!!

Aunt Jen had a cookie party at her house this weekend and the girls had a great time!

She made them matching Christmas Aprons and then gave them a ton of cookies to decorate with white icing and sprinkles!! It was so fun watching them make a HUGE mess. They were not exactly shy with the sprinkles... They basically poured them all over the place in huge piles and the shook them really hard-- sprinkles flew everywhere.... Glad it was at Jen's house and not mine. That kind of thing doesn't get to her... Me, I would be waiting on deck with the Vacuum :)

The girls in their darling aprons!

Haylee going crazy with the green!

Briley went a little crazy with the pink...

Haylee went a bit overboard on the yellow....

Working to make perfect cookies!

Briley's Hands! What a mess!!!


She hated having dirty hands

Check Out Haylee Bug's Green Toofies. She was eating the sprinkles directly from the jar...

Briley's Cookie!

The Finished Masterpiece!

Double Espresso

I colored my hair darker yesterday.... The color I originally wanted. It is almost black but not quite.... I really like it...

I tried to get a close up of my hair for all you out-of-towners and ended up with this weird myspace looking picture.... Owell, it gets the point across

Just Cute Pictures and that's all....

Here are some cute pics of the girls by the tree from this weekend....

Official Business....

I got my Hospital ID badge.... So fun and oh so official :) Love it....

Full Circle

I started my new job today.... I was actually up in the nursery, 3rd floor...So excited. All scrubbed up and ready to go. I walk to the hospital entrance in anticipation.... and my heart is pounding...

I haven't been to the 3rd floor in 6 months. 6 months ago, when my sweet baby Olive was born and thus began the most agonizing journey of my life.... I checked into Anti-Partum on April 16th, 2008 for Bedrest.... Here I met so many amazing people that helped me and took care of me... They helped me cope with my pain and my sadness about being on bedrest and away from my beloved job....

June 6th 2008: Olive arrives a sick little girl. I am Hemorrhaging, barely conscious of the fact my little girl is slipping away.... Next thing I know, she is being whisked away on a life-flight helicopter.... A BLUR, a total BLUR..... I am stuck in the hospital wanting to be with her, and hold her, something I hadn't gotten to do. My husband, and my family and close friends and the Staff at Katy Memorial Hermann helped me cope.... without them, I am not sure where I would be..... My nurses helped me SO much. They gave hugs, a listening ear and lots of pain meds.... They walked me through almost 5 days of recovery without my baby.....

God works in the most mysterious ways.... His plan is far greater than we can even comprehend.

November 19th, 2008: I walk in to my office. My beloved job with my beloved friends. Just another day.

Wrong.

The beloved job and beloved friends. Gone. Just like that- you no longer have a job. Here's a box. You're done. I am angry- Pissed off-- devastated. How could they? After everything We have been through... I am trying so hard... How could they kick me to curb and never blink an eye. I will never know. Their reasoning makes no sense.

I have come to realize I am not meant to understand why it happened or why they think what they did was ok. All I know is it's the best thing that ever happened to me. I am happier, free, and doing something so gratifying it's scary...

The Circle has fully completed itself.

I am Back in the nursery where my journey started. 6 months to the DAY, I got my offer and I accepted. God put me back in a place where I am needed and I can use my talents. And where I needed to be so I can finish healing myself. The whirlwind life we lead- I think I have put my emotional self on the back burner....

No more Desk job- no more politics.... just babies and my camera.

EVERY single nurse on the 3rd floor knows me, recognized me or remembers my story. Kayelyn's Story. Nathan's Story. Briley's Story. My family's story. My friend's story.... They were thrilled to see me back and healthy and as part of their team. How is Kayelyn? They Ask... She is so great....

Yes I have to see the sick babies.... the babies that have passed.... I see God's Plan. For the past 6 months, I get within a mile of the hospital and I start getting nervous....I see life-flight and I cry....

As I walked to the hospital entrance today it hit me like a ton of bricks.

This is the full circle.

I am back and ready to face the "ghosts" that have been haunting me. Deal with the raw pain I felt 6 months ago and put it behind me....

As I left tonight after hours of seeing beaming moms, healthy babies and sick babies, I started bawling... This will be very Therapeutic for me... I CAN cope with it after all.....It's like I could feel gods hands on me-- a giant hug and a sudden peace....

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalm 18:1)

AMEN.

Sweet Dreams

My Precious Girls taking naps-- at the Same time... Sweetness.

A Dog's Life!

I spend most of my time ranting about my girls... bragging about how wonderful they are..... I usually end up leaving out my other girls.... my furry kids, ZoeZoe and Sully-Dog. My two wonderful puppy dogs that make my heart so happy. They are both so sweet. They adore the kids and protect the house.... We are so blessed to have two perfect doggies to complete our family....

Briley and Zoe

Briley and Her Pups Watching TV

Sully and Her Republican Elephant Toy

CHEESE!!!!

This is how Zoey Sleeps at night- on the couch on her back...

Neighborhood Christmas Cheer- PART II

We hung the biggest portion of the Christmas Decorations at the entrance to our neighborhood.... We still have one HUGE wreath and some lights..... thats this weekend.... I was pretty impressed with Nathan's Ability to scale the giant Parkway Oaks Pillar at the entrance to our neighborhood....

The Park Sign

Wreaths at the pool...

Way to go honey!!!

He forgot his Spidey-Suit

Finished Product!

BURRRRRR!!!

The Baby Food Chronicles - Sweet Potatoes

The Follow Picture is Self-explanatory..... It is safe to say, that Olive just LOVES Sweet Potatoes .

Neighborhood Christmas Cheer!

Nathan and I were chosen by our homeowners association to do all the entrance Christmas decorating. We got a late start but we are going to hang everything tonight. I spent the whole morning making giant weather proof wreaths to hang outside..... We are hoping to get everything up tonight!! Stay tuned for more pictures.... I hope its not too cold for us to get it done tonight!! This morning when we woke up it was sleeting!