Who knew...

Well it's official...I'm now a member of the minivan club. Ryan and I got a minivan this week. It has been a long time coming but it was just so hard to make that step! I can't believe the room and convenience it has already proved and we are so excited about it! We are so excited about our next travel trip so hopefully we can hit the road soon. So of course our car is now for sale...it is a great car if anyone is interested.

Hurricane Fay turned out to be a fluke for us here in Sarasota. We didn't even get any rain! I am glad that we didn't get any damage but it seemed like a little bit of a disappointment after prepping for it all day monday. Across the state some places got 30 inches so I guess that I shouldn't complain.

Molly absolutly LOVES school and was disappointed today when I told her that she doesn't go on Saturdays. She learned a bible verse, several songs, all about the week of creation and had lots of fun on the playground with her friends. She has been such a good girl this week and I think that school is definately a big part of that. I look forward to all that she will learn this year.

Well I need to go. Until next time.....

First Day of School

Well I can't believe my little scholar is actually old enough for school. Molly started K-4 today and it was so exciting. She couldn't sleep last night from all of the anticipation and was up by 6:30am this morning ready to go. She looked so sweet with her new dress, shoes and backpack and I was so proud of her. She had zero seperation anxiety and did so well. When it came time for the kids to line up Molly actually did the high step all the way out of site...she just couldn't contain her excitement. Maddi came to our house for breakfast and we took her to school as well. She too did great and the two girls couldn't have planned it any better. Maddi wore a pink dress and had a purple backpack while Molly wore a purple dress with a pink backpack. It just added to how well things went.

Ryan said that his mom always had a fresh batch of cookies waiting for them when they got home from the first day of school. You know me, always looking to start a tradition, so I thought this would be a great one to follow. I asked Molly a few days ago what her favorite cookie was and of course she wanted the sprinkle cookies with icing. I should have known that she would pick the most complicated recipe in the recipe box but for the sake of tradition I was up for the challenge.

Roz and I played for a while after we got home from dropping them off and then the baking began. Did I mention that the recipe that Molly was referring to came from my great grandma Rachel (my g'pa Knepp's mother) and that it is called 'Church Cookies'. We have come to the conclusion that it must have been called that because one batch would literally feed a whole church...no kidding. I had to pick Molly up at 12:30 and I still had a few more sheets of cookies to bake when I got home. It is a good thing those things freeze so well or my family would gain 10 lbs each after we were done with those things. They are super good though and we just can't resist every once in a while...it won't kill us right?!?! (Legend has it that those cookies, or should I say a lack of self-control when it came to the cookies, are what put my aunt Patsy in labor with one of her kids...so eat at your own risk).

When we picked the girls up they said that they had tons of fun so I think everything went well. Molly has to sit between 2 boys and she said they were rowdy so hopefully that won't become a problem. She said that there were tons of things to do and they stayed busy so hopefully she will really enjoy the whole year. And the cookies were a huge hit too...she really had a great day!

School is already cancelled for tomorrow. Hurricane Fay has Sarasota County under a state of emergency so all the schools are closed. Hopefully we won't loose power and it won't turn into anything more than a massive rain maker, which isn't so bad since we are still behind on rainfall for the year. None-the-less we have tried to get ready in case it does pick up speed and force. I wanted to title this post "Fay, Fay Go Away" but I thought that Molly's school was ultimately more important. The weather thus far has been pretty mild with a small shower this afternoon (as I was trying to get the grass cut of course). The air this evening has been really pleasant and we actually sat outside and let the girls play it was so nice. This is not usually the case here in August so I guess it is just a sign of something coming. Pray that we will be safe.

I guess that is all for now. Until next time....

Molly is reading!

Molly is just amazing us with her intelligence. She has always caught on to things way before her peers and she literally thirst for knowledge. I have been amazed by her since an early age. She was able to sing the state song before she turned 2. I think I might have said this before but I prayed before she was born for a happy, healthy & smart child and boy did God answer my prayers! Anyway....she has been trying to read for probably about 6 months now (she is just 4). I have kind of put her off because I really didn't know how to teach her. I just thought that was something that she could learn in school (and I really didn't want to give up the secret "spelling" language that Ryan and I could communicate in). Well she finally gave up on us and has basically taught herself. A few days ago she pulled a book off of the bookshelf and read all but about 2 words in it. I was super proud but deep down wondered if it was just by memory...we must have read every book on there 100 times. So today the true test came, we went to the library. She picked out a 'beginning reader' book and read all but a couple words to me on our drive home! I was so proud that I must have been beaming. She is such an awesome learner and Ryan and I are so proud. Here are some pictures of her reading and one from when she was 9 months old...she got an early start.

I had to throw some pics of Roz in the mix too. She is up to the same old stuff, trying to fit into trash cans, climbing on the bar height chairs & eating crumbs from the floor. Don't get me wrong, she is a joy beyond words and we love her more and more everyday! I feel so blessed!

Until next time....

Doctor Visits for All

Today Roz was scheduled for her 18 month check-up (a little late) and Molly went ahead and seen the peditrician for that nagging cough she has had for the last 2 weeks. Roz is doing great. She weighs 24 lbs 5 ozs and is 32 inches long which puts her at the 50th percentile for both height & weight. The dr said that all signs of her being a preemie are gone and that we can't use that for an excuse for her at all...what good news. She is doing wonderfully and he was very pleased with her.

Molly weighed 37.5 lbs and he didn't think that her cough was anything more than allergies. He prescribed some singular and hopefully that will take care of it in a couple of days. I think that because of her episode when she was Roz's age with pnemonia/broncitus/asthma we are just a little leary when she starts to cough. I just can't stand it when her health isn't great. Hopefully she will be back to her normal healthy self again soon.

I wanted to ask for prayer for Ryan and I. We are reading "The Purpose Driven Life" together and I think that God is going to do something big for the 2 of us. I know that God has a purpose for us and I just wanted to be covered in prayer while we read this so that it can be revealed. Thank you in advance.

My trial subscription to photoshop elements ran out today. I am so sad! I hope that I can save some $ in the next couple of weeks to buy it but with the economy being so bad work is hard to come by for our detailing business and I don't want to be frivilous. Here are the pages that I created over the last couple of days. It is so much fun!

Here are a couple more pics for the road and then off to bed I go! Until next time....

Shopping for School

The summer must be coming to an end because we had to buy Molly's books for school on friday and we went school shopping last night for all her supplies. The first day of K-4 for her isn't until August 18th but she is super pumped already. Yesterday afternoon we went to target and got her some new shoes and a new dress and then last night we had a special outing, just her and I, to buy the rest of her supplies. She had a blast and I thought it was fun that we could do it together. She has got to be the easiest person to shop with imaginable (unlike her mother). She liked the least expensive things and had little opinion on most of the items. She was just so excited to be school shopping that the details just didn't matter. I have to admit that it was probably just as much fun for me! I am so excited that I have 2 little girls and can look forward to years of shopping together. I will post pictures of our purchases later.

Until next time....

Summertime

I just can't believe that it is almost August. When school ended I was so nervous about having Molly home all the time and it just seems that things have been super smooth. I think that Ryan being home from school (only taking online courses) and me working more has made things really fly by. I enjoy the family time that we have together in the evenings and on weekends so much. I know that it will be a tough road again when his schools starts up but it will all be worth the effort in the end...I hope!

Molly started another week of VBS today. This time it is at Cornerstone where her friend Lily attends church. It seemed to go pretty good so hopefully she will have a good week. Her teacher commented on how smart she is when I picked her up today. It is sometimes hard to remember that she is only 4 because she is so smart. I can't wait to see the awesome things that she is going to accomplish in her life.

I know that I have mentioned that we try to ride our bikes whenever we get a chance. We got the girls helmets last week and Molly is so super proud of hers. It has all the princesses on it and it took us 3 days to get her to leave it in the garage for riding only. Here are some pics of her in her new gear.

Molly just loves to pose...isn't she just adorable!

One day last week I decided that Molly and I could sit down and watch "The Little Mermaid". We borrowed it from Allison for our trip home from IN but I was a little nervous about her watching it. She used to be so scared of everything and I thought it might cause problems. So I finally decided that we would watch it together and she loved it. She didn't get scared once and reminded me several times of how much bigger she is now than last year. We have watched it several times since then and now Roz is even starting to enjoy it. I think she actually just enjoys sitting with Molly more than anything. Here they are...

I forgot to mention that I forgot how much I love the movie too! We have all been singing the songs none stop and Ryan is about ready to vomit! He needs to have some manly time but it is hard with all of the princess gear around our house. Here is Molly singing one of the songs.

Then of course I couldn't leave out little Roz. Her latest trick it jumping. She thinks that she is really getting high and I love to see her try. She has recently added the arms and now will tip-toe around afterwards...maybe because she feels like she is floating, who knows. She is so sweet!

Until next time....

Who am I anyway?

I don't know if this all has something to do with turning 30 but I have had some eye opening experiences in the last couple of days. I must warn you that you should proceed through this post with caution. I don't mean any offense to anyone so hopefully it won't come across that way. I have just been experiencing some emotions lately that have got me thinking. I am not very good with expressing myself, especially on paper so this could be a little rough around the edges. O.K. enough warning...here goes. By the way, I'm looking forward to any comments that you have.

I told you a little about my friend Tonya and her accident. She has really made me take a good look at myself and people in general. She is so genuine. I really want to be that person that you don't have to guess what or who they believe in. I really want to live with integrity. I looked up the definition of integrity and this is what I found...adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. That's it...that's what I want my life to be.

I want people that don't know me to look at me and see me as someone that is human and flawed but forgiven by a God of grace & mercy. I want people to know that I am so far from perfect but that I am O.K. with that (most of the time). God is still working on me and will continue to work on me until the day that I die. I struggle with being everything to everyone and nothing to no one. I want to be the best mom but most days go to bed feeling like a failure. I want to play with my girls more but just can't find the time and energy a lot of the time. I want to get my priorities straight. I want Ryan to love and adore me but end up most days giving him plenty of reasons not to. I want to know more about the bible and how it applies and when to use scriptures and where they can be found in the bible. I am more materialistic, career driven and selfish than I ever thought possible.

I do have good qualities too. I am highly determined and driven and can accomplish almost anything when I put my mind to it. I love to serve others when possible and would do anything for my friends. I hurt deeply when someone I love hurts and wear my emotions on my sleeve (I guess that one is both good and bad). I am a great cook, good housekeeper, hard worker and love to learn. I hate lying and deceit and am teaching my girls to be honest people even when it isn't convenient or fun or rewarding.

Your wondering where all this is going huh...I guess that I just want to keep it real. I don't want to portray my life as this perfect fairytale bible story that it isn't. One of my favorite things to do is to sit on my lanai with my husband, have a couple of cold beers and share thoughts about our past, present & future. I don't always listen to Christain music and can't quote scripture off the top of my head. I am working on being a better follower of Jesus Christ but to be real honest it is really hard. I want to share God's love with my family and friends but am scared of their reactions. I don't want to be the crazy Christain girl that scares away unbelievers but I don't want to put God in a box either. I am just searching for the right balance and trying to listen intently to what God is telling and teaching me along the way.

I love my life and am so lucky to have everything that I do, but that doesn't always keep me from wanting more. Like I said before, I am definitely a work-in-progress. I am glad that I have this blog to vent frustrations and share triumphs but I hope that I don't distort the real facts...I am flawed and need Jesus' blood to cover me each & every day. Thank you God for your grace...I need it desperatly!

Until next time....